Fifty Shades of Parenting
by PenToPaper18
Summary: Christian and Anastasia are raising two teenagers and an infant. Life has been both simple and exciting, raising two well behaved kids in a wealthy and secure environment, but tension builds between Christian and his family when his kids start to get into trouble.
1. Big Plans

I've become a fan of this trilogy. I would love for EL James to write more, and still hold out hope that we'll see a book four. Until then, nothing wrong with letting our imaginations run wild and pen our own ideas for the future happenings for Christian and Anastasia.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades of Grey or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Christian and Anastasia Grey have everything they could possibly want. Love, marriage, children, health, wealth and a beautiful home complete with a highly qualified security team. Their children, Theodore and Phoebe, are seventeen and fifteen respectively. They both attend a highly expensive high school and take piano and self-defense lessons. Christian and Ana also have an infant daughter. They've named her Natalie Grey.

Their two eldest children are well behaved and well mannered, but then again, they are teenagers, and they are not perfect. They are at the age where they are discovering that they have minds of their own.

Christian greets his daughter with a smile late in the afternoon. She is in the kitchen having a snack. She has just returned from school, driven home by Sawyer. She returns the smile, but inside she is a ball of butterflies. It is Friday, and she has plans, big plans, but she is keeping that from her father. She does her best to hide that in her smile

"Hey Peanut" Christian says, using a nickname that he's used since the day they found out Ana was pregnant with her. "How was your day?"

"Fine" she answers him. "I got an A on my English exam"

"That's my girl!" He says proudly. He opens the refrigerator and pulls out a bottled water for himself. Then he walks over to the bar to be close to his daugther. "Your mother told me you are going out tonight"

Phoebe temporarily freezes, but keeps the smile on her face, doing her best to hide the fact that she has plans that he does not know about. "Uh huh, I'm meeting some friends for pizza"

"That's nice Dear. Take Sawyer with you"

"But Dad….."

"No butts, and don't whine. Otherwise you can stay in tonight with your boring parents"

"I never said you were boring" she says, trying to deflect the subject away from her whining.

"Really? So would you say that your parents are the coolest most funnest people to be around?" he asks, his playful side taking charge.

"I wouldn't go that far"

Christian cups her chin and gives her a quick kiss. "Curfew at nine." He walks away and Phoebe rolls her eyes. "I saw that"

_How does he do that?_ she wonders.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later that evening, Christian and Ana have some quiet time while Natalie is asleep and the kids are out with their friends. They have just finished eating dinner that Gail Taylor had prepared for them. Yes, Gail and Jason have married and are both happily still employed by the Greys.

"What would you like to do now Mr Grey?" Ana asks her husband playfully as she wipes her mouth with her napkin.

"Do you even have to ask" he answers her. He shifts on his barstool to face her and kisses her. He puts his hands on her face and head to hold her and deepen his kiss. When they part, they look at each other lovingly.

"Race you" Ana says after a few seconds of their stare fest. They both start to run toward the stairs in the foyer and are stopped in their tracks by Taylor. He approaches them with a serious expression.

"Sir"

"What is it Taylor" Christian answers him softly, trying his best to hide his annoyance. Ana is standing behind him holding his hand.

"Sir, that was Sawyer on the phone. It seems your daughter has given him the slip"

Christian's eyes blaze in furry. "What!" He yells. He pauses and runs his hand through his hair. "Well find her, did he track her phone?"

"Yes sir, he found it in the ladies room at the pizza restaurant."

Christian grows even more exasperated. He runs his hand through his hair again. "She did this on purpose"

"Christian, we don't know that" Ana tries to help.

"Well, the alternative isn't any better, Ana. If she didn't ditch Sawyer on purpose that means she's been kidnapped." He walks away and runs both hands through his hair. He is angry, and terrified that something could be happening to his daughter. "We have to find her" he says when he turns around and faces them again.

"We're on it Sir. Sawyer's got agents searching the perimeter and questioning her friends." Taylor says. He tries to hide his fear and anger in order to avoid making things worse for the Greys. He's watched this kid grow up, so he is definitely worried about the wellbeing of his boss' daughter.


	2. Big Trouble

It's been a few hours since Christian and Ana received the news that their daughter is missing. Teddy has returned home on time for his ten o'clock curfew and is sitting on the couch in the main room with his mother. Christian is in the main room with them. He is pacing, running his hand through his hair every once in a while. Taylor and the security team are in the foyer discussing a new strategy to find Phoebe, but they are halted when the front door opens. It is now ten thirty, and Taylor is relieved to see Phoebe when he looks up from the group.

"Welcome back Miss Grey" he says with as much professionalism he can muster. He walks over to her and whispers to her "Are you alright?"

Phoebe responds with a nervous nod. She knows she's in trouble. Taylor takes her arm and leads her into the main room to where her family is waiting. The rest of the security team remains in the foyer.

Christian looks up from his pacing and is the first to see his daughter. He goes from angry and scared, to angry and relived, and then to just angry. "Where the fuck were you!" he shouts at her, causing Ana and Teddy to look up from the couch and in Phoebe and Taylor's direction. "Answer me!" he shouts again.

Ana quickly gets to her feet and rushes to Phoebe. She wraps her in her arms, relieved that she is okay. Teddy stands next to his father and watches his mother and sister. He turns and looks at his father, and sees that his face is filled with anger and rage.

"Oh honey, are you okay? Oh, you are in so much trouble" Ana says with tears in her eyes.

"You're damned right she's in trouble" Christian says harshly.

"Christian please, not now" Ana says as she leaves go of her daughter. "We can talk about that later." She turns back and looks over her daughter for any signs of bruises. "Honey, please tell us where you were"

"Mom….." she says, but has no intention of explaining herself right now.

"Taylor, where did you find my daughter?" Christian asks, not taking his burning gaze off Phoebe. Phoebe tenses as she feels him scowling at her.

"She just walked through the front door, Sir"

"Thanks, that will be all Taylor" he says again, still scowling at Phoebe.

"Very good Sir." Taylor leaves the room and closes the door.

"Where were you?" Christian asks again after Taylor leaves, his tone is very dark.

"I'm… I'm sorry I stayed out past curfew" Phoebe says, her voice trembling. Unfortunately for her, Christian is so angry and unaffected by her trembling state. They are interrupted when the sound of a screaming baby vibrates through the baby monitor. Ana sighs in defeat, knowing that she needs to leave the room to check on baby Natalie. She looks up at Christian, but he is still glaring at Phoebe.

"Ana, the baby needs to eat" he snaps when Ana is reluctant to leave. She rubs Phoebe's back and turns and leaves the room. Phoebe is frozen in her place. She is afraid to look at her father or her brother.

A few seconds later Christian walks over to Phoebe and takes her elbow. "Come"

Christian leads Phoebe out of the room. She isn't able to find her voice until they reach the stairs and start up to the second floor. "Where are we going?"

"Your bedroom. We need privacy" he says to her coldly. Any fear that she's felt in the last hour has tripled at the sound of his voice. _What is he going to do?_ She's never felt this afraid of him before. But then again, she's never defied her parents in any way close to the way she's defied them tonight.

They enter her bedroom and Christian slams the door shut. He takes a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down, but it doesn't work. He walks over to the bed and sits down. Phoebe looks down at him, confusion and worry written on her face. "What are you going to do?" she asks softly, her voice slightly trembling.

Christian takes another breath in another attempt to calm himself. He is so angry. "I'm going to spank you. Come over here." He reaches out his hand for her, but she doesn't take it.

"What? No"

"Phoebe, if I have to come over there to get you it will be worse for you. Now come" he demands.

Phoebe reluctantly takes a few steps closer to him, not wanting this to be any worse than it has to be. _Is he really going to do this?_ When she is a few feet away from him, he is able to tug her closer and pull her onto his lap. He positions her so that she is over his knee and unable to move away from him.

"Hands by your head, now" he says. She does as she's told. She is mortified when he lowers her leggings and her underwear. He starts to smack her bare bottom, hard, and she cries out in pain. She is unable to move because he is holding her tight. She starts to grip the covers on her bed as the blows continue to come. Tears are springing out of her eyes. He stops momentarily and places his hand on her back.

"Why am I doing this Phoebe?"

She tries to find her voice amongst her sobs. "Because…. I stayed out late"

He delivers another hard slap, causing her to yelp.

"Is that the only reason?"

"No" she cries. "I ditched Sawyer"

"Was that a wise decision" he asks her, his hand on her back again.

"No"

"Will you do it again?"

"No"

"You had us worried Phoebe. Your Mom and me, your brother….. the entire security staff was spread all over Seattle looking for you. It's not like you to defy us like this. If you ever do this again, this is how I will punish you. Do you understand?"

"Yes"

"Good, we'll go with ten more"

As promised, he delivers ten more slaps, pausing in between each to allow the sting from each blow to set in. When he is finished, he fixes her leggings and moves her over to her bed. She draws her knees to her chest and buries her face in her pillow sobbing from having to endure such punishment. She hasn't been hit by her parents since she was a toddler. One memory comes to mind when she tried to reach for a hot beverage on the counter. _Yeah, that was dangerous. And what I did tonight was dangerous. But seriously, did he really have to spank me? I am a teenager now. How dare he do that to me!_


	3. Big Frustration

Christian joins Ana in their bedroom. She is holding the baby and feeding her a bottle. He sits down on the bed and removes his shoes and socks. Ana can see the anger and frustration still set in her husband. When Natalie is finished her bottle, Ana lowers her into the pack 'n play they keep in their bedroom. She is sound asleep. Ana walks over to the bed and joins her husband.

"I thought we agreed you would continue to breast feed" he says with frustration clear in his voice.

"You know that's not enough for her anymore. What happened?" she asks him.

"What do you mean?"

"Christian, you know what I mean. What happened with our daughter? Did she tell you where she was?"

Christian hesitates for a moment. He doesn't look at his wife. "No"

"Okay. So, what, you ran out of twenty questions? Gave up on the Grey inquisition? The intimidating third degree? That's not like you"

Christian finishes removing his other sock and runs both hands through his hair. He doesn't say anything in response.

"Okay. Here, take this bottle to the kitchen for rinsing. I'll go and talk to her"

Ana hands the empty bottle to her husband and leaves the room. He looks at his baby girl sleeping peacefully in the pack 'n play, and allows a feeling of peace to run through him as a result. "No wonder your Mom was so calm just now." He lets out a quick chuckle at that, considering that he is mad as hell right now. A baby has a way of changing anyone's mood.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana joins Phoebe in her bedroom. She is no longer sobbing, but tears continue to roll down her face. Phoebe sits up and winces as she tries to find a comfortable position. Ana sits with her and wipes her tears away. After a short while, Phoebe is the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry…. I'm sorry" she says, she uses the back of her hand to wipe her nose, just like her mother does when she cries. Ana gently continues to wipe her tears from her face. Phoebe notices just how different her parents are when it comes to dealing with crisis. Ana is usually calm and cool, while Christian is a ball of anger and anxiety. No wonder she is able to confide more in her mother. "Did he tell you he spanked me?"

Ana looks at her and tries to hide her shock and disapproval over what her husband did. "No, he didn't tell me that. Your father and I were very scared that something had happened to you."

"I know…. and it was stupid and I'm sorry"

"You said that already, Dear. What you haven't said was where you went after you ditched Sawyer"

Phoebe takes a breath and tries to calm herself down. "I really don't want to talk about it"

"Why not?"

"Because. I don't want Dad to know." Tears start to roll down her face again, and Phoebe roughly wipes them away before Ana has a chance to.

"Your father isn't here right now" Ana says softly. She tucks a few strands of Phoebe's hair behind her ear.

Phoebe looks at her mother and thinks about it for a minute. She looks away from her again and shakes her head. "You and Dad don't keep secrets from each other."

Ana gently takes Phoebe's chin in her hand and raises her head to look at her. "You're right, we don't. But whatever you tell me, it won't be my place to tell your father. I'll leave it up to you to tell him when you're ready"

Phoebe takes another breath and sighs. Ana releases her chin and waits for her to tell her story.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana joins Christian in their bedroom again. He has been sitting on their bed waiting for her to come back. She makes her way onto her side of the bed and climbs in under the covers. He turns around to face her.

"Well?"

She looks up at him. "Well, what?"

"Well, did she tell you anything?"

"She told me you spanked her" Ana responds, she shoots a disapproving glare at him.

"Don't look at me that way. She needed me to do that"

"She didn't need you to look at and slap her bare bottom Christian. My god she must have been mortified."

"She's my daughter, Ana" he starts to raise his voice, but thinks better of it when he remembers that the baby is sleeping. "I raised her. I changed her diapers, I bathed her, I helped toilet train her. Don't fucken tell me that I have no right to punish her when she defies me!"

Ana glares at her husband. She is not backing down from this. "She has a right to her privacy, Christian. She's not a small child anymore, she's a teenager. Teenagers are insecure about their images and their bodies, they don't need us to make that worse for them"

Christian runs his hand through his hair again. He looks down momentarily and then back at his wife. "Then what would you have me do? Huh? Just let her run wild? Let her ditch our security team and go and let every man in Seattle fuck her? Fuck, Ana!" He stands up and starts to pace again.

Ana tries the calm approach. "No, of course not. We need to trust that we've raised her right and that she'll make the right decision for herself when boys try to coerce her to have sex"

Christian pauses his pacing and turns to look at his wife. "You trust her?"

Ana nods and her tone is serious. "Yes, I do"

"Did she tell you where she was?" he asks, still standing and staring at his wife.

"She will talk about it when she's ready"

"You haven't answered my question"

Ana gives her husband a look, and he knows the answer already. "She did tell you" he whispers.

Ana taps her hand on Christian's side of the bed. "Come to bed"

He gives his wife a confused look. His hands are on his hips. "You really want to have sex while I'm this angry?"

"Yes"

He looks over at his sleeping baby girl. "She's out for a few hours Christian. Come." Ana says, mirroring her husband's usual command. He obeys and climbs onto the bed. He crawls up to her and kisses her. She returns the kiss with a smile and starts to unbutton his shirt. He stops her attempts and just rips it off, allowing the buttons to fly off. This makes Ana giggle.

"Oh, how I love the sound of that"


	4. Big Tension

The next morning, Christian greets his children in the kitchen. They are both sitting at the breakfast bar eating pancakes that Ana had prepared. Teddy is enjoying every bite and eating faster than he probably should, while Phoebe is picking at her breakfast.

"Morning kids" Christian says. He opens the refrigerator and pulls out the orange juice. After glancing over at his kids he grabs three glasses and pours the juice into each glass. He takes two of them and places them on the table in front of his kids. "Drink" he commands. "It's good for you." He walks back to the counter and starts to drink his juice.

Teddy obediently drinks his juice in whole, and then goes back to working on his pancakes. Phoebe continues to poke at her food with her fork. "What's the matter Phoebe, don't like your pancakes?" Christian asks.

Phoebe just looks up and glares at him, but Christian does not allow himself to be affected. "Eat" he commands. Ana joins them and gives her husband a kiss. She hands Natalie over to him so that she can make more pancakes for herself and her husband. Christian is on cloud nine when he holds Natalie, grinning from ear to ear. Phoebe notices and grows even more angry with him. Teddy looks up from his pancakes and notices Phoebe's cold glare at their father. She lowers her eyes after Christian leaves the room.

"Hey" he asks his sister. "What's eating you?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you mad at Dad?"

Phoebe looks down at her pancakes again and pokes at them. "It's none of your business."

"Phoebe" Ana addresses her as she makes her way over to the bar. "You didn't eat much. Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really"

"Well, you know how your father is about food. You need to eat a little more."

Phoebe grimaces when Ana mentions her father, and Teddy takes notice. "Seriously, what's going on with you?"

"Leave it alone" she says.

Christian comes back into the room after changing the baby. He still has a smile on his face as he stands next to his wife. He kisses her hair as she prepares the pancakes. Teddy looks over at them and is annoyed when he sees his father grow more passionate with his mother. "Jeez, get a room" he says to them.

Christian continues to smile as he keeps his mouth in Ana's hair. "Careful, we just might."

"Christian!" Ana scolds. She playfully pushes him off so she can make the pancakes. He leans in closer to her and whispers in her ear. The kids don't hear what he says but it makes Ana giggle. Phoebe is disgusted and makes it obvious when she slams her utensils onto her plate and leaves the room. Her family members decide not to follow her. Teddy has finished his breakfast, so he clears his and his sister's plates and leaves the room.

Christian puts the baby in the bouncy seat and walks back over to his wife, his mood has quickly changed from playful to frustrated. "I wish you would tell me where she was last night" he says to Ana.

"She will talk to you about it when she's ready, Christian. You know, you made it much worse for yourself by punishing her"

"I'm not going to apologize for that" he says. "She purposely defied us and she put herself at risk. It's the only way I know to protect her"

Ana stops cooking and faces her husband. "I know you want to protect her. But spanking her? You crossed the line"

"No, she crossed the line when she left this house yesterday fully intending to ditch the security team." Christian has raised his voice, but that doesn't affect Ana the way it used to. She has grown a lot more confident over the years and has been able to stand her ground when it comes to an angry Christian. She doesn't flinch. Instead she flicks some of the pancake batter at him. "What the, Ana!"

"Oops, accident" she says coyly. Christian becomes less angry as his playful side takes over. He grabs the bowl of batter and pulls his wife down to the ground. She laughs out loud. "Christian!" He is now on top of her and he holds a spoon of batter over her face.

"Tell me where our daughter was last night" he says, still being playful. Ana laughs, although she doesn't want pancake batter all over her face.

"Christian, stop it. You know it's not my place to say" Christian is about to pour some of the batter on her face, but he stops when he hears his son's voice.

"Ugh, again?" Teddy says in disgust. "You guys are so embarrassing sometimes"

Christian climbs off of his wife and helps her to her feet. "Sorry son. Listen, your Mom and I need to go out today, run a few errands. We need you to stay here and watch your sister."

"Natalie?" he asks, confused since he's never watched his infant sister alone. His parents feel he is too young for that.

"No, Phoebe. She will be staying in today and we need you to stay here and keep an eye on her" Christian clarifies. Phoebe has started walking into the kitchen and is annoyed at her father's decision.

"I don't need a babysitter"

"Yeah, I think you do. You've demonstrated that very well for us last night" he says to her. She crosses her arms and glares at him. "And you will stay in this house until you start talking to me about where you were last night" he adds. Phoebe huffs and walks away.

Ana sighs. She doesn't agree with her husband, but she decides not to undermine him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are out running errands. They have Natalie with them and she is in a stroller. They are walking from one of the stores and Christian is carrying a few bags. Ana is annoyed at one of his purchases and immediately brings it up.

"You're not going to be able to buy her forgiveness, Christian"

"I'm not trying to buy her forgiveness. I've been meaning to buy one of these for her for a while now. She's going to need it if she's serious about this photography program." Christian has purchased one of the most expensive, top notched cameras for Phoebe to use in a photography program that she recently joined at school.

"I get that she'll need a camera, but did you have to get _that_ camera? Nobody in this program is going to have a camera worth thousands of dollars. I thought we agreed we wouldn't spoil the kids this way" Ana shakes her head. Even after being married to this man for nineteen years, she still does not like the idea of spending a lot of money when it isn't warranted.

"Okay, maybe I am trying to get her to forgive me. She's mad at me, and I don't like when she's mad at me."

"She doesn't like what you did, Christian"

"And I don't like what she did" He says defensively. "I will not say that punishing her was wrong, but she thinks it was and I need to do something about that"

"Buying her things is not going to help matters, Christian" she says as she stops to look at her husband. She keeps her hands on the stroller. "Our daughter is smarter than that. You need to have a conversation with her, a _calm_ conversation."

"You know I have a hard time with that" he says as he looks down.

"I know that more than anybody" she says softly. She reaches over and cups his chin, raising his head up to look at her. "But I know that when you manage to have a calm conversation, it really goes a long way. Because I know that it is difficult for you."

He continues to look at his wife after she releases his chin. "Why can't you tell me where she was last night?" he asks softly.

Ana sighs. "It's not my place to tell you"

"You keep saying that. God, Ana, just tell me already. You are driving me crazy"

"Christian, I need you to trust me and I need you to trust our daughter. When she is ready to talk to you, she will."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana arrive home to find Phoebe and Teddy in the main room. Phoebe is sitting with her arms crossed. Teddy stands and rushes over to his parents to help with the bags, while Phoebe stays put. She is sulking, which Christian hates, but he decides not to bring any attention to it. He walks over to her and sits down on the couch.

"Your mother and I got this for you" he says as he hands over the box with the camera. She observes it for a few seconds, and then she hands it back to him.

"No thanks" she crosses her arms again.

"What?" Christian asks. He doesn't understand. Phoebe stands up and walks over to the kitchen where Ana and Teddy are emptying the bags. Christian follows her. "Phoebe, your mother and I picked this up for you so you can use it for that photography program. Don't you want this?" He holds the box out for her again, but she doesn't take it.

"You can't just buy me things and expect everything to be okay" she says before she stomps off. Christian watches her and runs his hand through his hair.

"I hate to say I told you so" Ana says, earning her a glare from her husband.

"Careful" he says under his breath.


	5. Big Conversation

Christian approaches the kitchen in the middle of the night and notices a dim light on and a figure sitting on one of the bar stools. It is Phoebe, her eyes lost in a half gallon of ice cream. She is twirling the spoon around inside the half eaten carton, but she doesn't seem to be eating any of it. He walks over to her and stands on the other side of the kitchen bar.

"Hey Peanut. Trouble sleeping?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe answers him but keeps her eyes on the ice cream in front of her. "Yeah"

He gently puts his hand on the carton of ice cream and slides it away from her. "Well, this stuff is certainly not going to help you. I'll make you some tea." He turns and walks over to the stove. He prepares the tea for her in silence. He walks back over to her and puts the hot mug of tea in front of her. He sits on another bar stool with a glass of milk.

"Thank you" she says softly, remembering her manners.

Christian smiles, even though she's only said three words to him in the last ten minutes. It is more than she's said to him all day. He decides this is a good time to try the calm conversation that his wife had suggested.

"Why are you having trouble sleeping?" he asks her.

She looks up at him, her calm demeanor quickly changes to annoyance. "You have to ask?"

Christian is not sure how to answer her. Then again, he's been having trouble with that recently, communicating with a female teenager. He doesn't remember it ever being this way with Teddy. He looks down at his milk and tries to think of a response.

"You're mad at me. I get it. I'm mad at you too. But at least I'm talking to you. I'm not ignoring you or throwing daggers at you with my eyes every time you walk into the room."

Phoebe doesn't respond. She looks down at her tea and holds her hot mug with both hands. The warmth feels good on her fingers and her palms. She takes turns gripping the mug with each hand.

Christian slowly runs his hand through his hair. "What do I have to do to make this right? What can I do?"

"You can apologize" she says, still looking down at her mug.

"Okay. I'm sorry"

"What are you sorry for?" she challenges him.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry that you're mad at me."

Phoebe's face fills with anger. _That's all he's sorry for?_ "You're sorry that I'm mad at you?"

"I'm not going to apologize for punishing you, Phoebe. What you did was very stupid and very selfish. You put yourself at risk and you scared the crap out of your family"

Phoebe stands and walks over to the sink. She doesn't want to hear this. She's about to pour out her tea but Christian stops her.

"No" he takes the mug from her hand before she has a chance to pour it out. She is angry. She glares up at him as he stands in front of her. His voice is softer now. "Don't pour it out. Finish it." He gives the mug back to Phoebe and she takes it with both hands. "It will help you calm so you can sleep." Phoebe's anger at her mercurial father starts to fade, and she's confused by it. "Don't stay up too much longer."

Without touching her, he kisses her head and starts to walk out of the room toward the foyer, but stops when he hears her crying. He turns and walks back to her. He stands in front of her again but he doesn't touch her. He cocks is head to the side. "Why are you crying?"

Phoebe sniffs. "How do you do that?" she asks, and pauses to take a breath. "I hate this. I am so mad at you. You can act so cold one minute and so loving the next. It is so confusing and so so…. frustrating." She emphasizes the last word. "You know, sometimes I think I hate you, then I hate myself for even thinking that." Tears are running down her face. Christian is silent. He doesn't know what to say. "And then you go and…. spank me." She squeezes her eyes shut as she says the words. "You might think that's okay, but it's not. You had no right to violate me like that."

"Violate" Christian says surprisingly and has to stop himself from chuckling. He can never see things from another's point of view.

"Yes, violate. Is that such a hard concept for you to grasp?"

Christian thinks about it for a moment but doesn't understand. "Yeah, kind of." He looks down and puts his hand on the back of his head.

Phoebe changes from tearful to angry. "Is this amusing to you Dad?"

"No, it's not, okay? I'm trying to understand. Really trying. You're saying I violated you, but I just don't see it that way. You broke the rules, you put yourself at risk, and I punished you for it. And I know that it wasn't pleasant for you, but that was the point. You are less likely to do it again. Am I right?"

Phoebe doesn't answer him.

"Phoebe, am I right?"

"If I do, then I'll know not to come home the next time." She puts the mug on the counter and walks away from him. Christian feels exasperated. Not the response he was going for. _Not come home?_ _She didn't mean it, did she?_


	6. Big Flynn

The next morning, Ana is sitting in the kitchen with Phoebe. It is about eleven and everyone has eaten breakfast, except for Phoebe. She just woke up a short while ago. Ana knows why, since she and Christian have discussed their early morning conversation that didn't go well. Ana has put oatmeal in front of her daughter, but she is reluctant to eat. She stares at it for a few minutes.

"Your father told me about what you said to him this morning. It has him pretty rattled" she says to her without a hint of reprimand.

"Which part?" Phoebe asks. She temporarily looks up from her oatmeal to look at her mother.

"You said you hated him, and you said that the next time you are in trouble, you won't come home" Ana answers her, this time Phoebe can hear the worry clear in her voice. She looks down at her oatmeal again. "I hope you didn't mean that"

Phoebe starts to feel guilty. _Of course I didn't mean it_. "I'm angry at Dad. But I don't hate him." Phoebe picks up her fork and starts to poke at her oatmeal, thinking about eating some of it.

"What about the rest of it, not coming home?"

Phoebe opens her mouth to answer, but she doesn't know what to say. _I wouldn't leave home. I wouldn't leave my parents. I said it out of anger_. She doesn't get to respond because Christian walks into the room. He doesn't say anything right away. He walks over to the refrigerator, pulls out the orange juice and pours a glass for himself. He looks over at Ana and Phoebe and he knows what they are talking about. He is facing them, leaning one hand on the counter and holding the glass in the other. He has one foot crossed over the other.

"Your mother and I need to go out again. We'll be taking Natalie with us, and you and Teddy will be staying in. Sawyer and Collins will be here too to make sure you don't leave." He places his glass in the sink and leaves the room. Phoebe looks down. She feels guilty for what she said to him. But she needs to let him know how angry she is.

Ana puts her hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "Honey, I know you are angry with your father. But you need to know that he loves you, more than anything he loves his family, and all he wants to do is protect us. The idea that you can walk out this door and never return scares the hell out of him. You need to let him know that you didn't mean it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana and Christian arrive at Doctor Flynn's office with Natalie. She is asleep in her stroller. He greets Christian with a handshake and Ana with a kiss on the cheek. They sit on the couches in his office and get started with their session.

"It's been a while since I've seen the two of you" John observes openly. "What can I do for you today?" Christian and Ana look at each other, waiting to see if the other will answer. "Take all the time you need" John continues when they don't answer. "I have no other appointments today."

Christian is well aware of that, seeing that it is a Sunday. Christian is the only patient John would make time to see on a Sunday. "I'm sorry John. You're right, it has been a while. So I guess things were okay for a while"

"And now?"

"It's Phoebe. She's growing up, she's a teenager now, and I'm having a hard time dealing with that"

"I see" John nods his head. "What's happened recently that has you so rattled?"

Christian looks up at John before he looks down again and notices that he is tapping his hands on the chair. _I am rattled_. "She stayed out past curfew on Friday, she ditched our security team, she didn't have her phone, didn't call us… then when she got home she wouldn't tell us where she was….. excuse me, I take that back… she wouldn't tell _me_ where she was, but she told her mother." He stops and glares over at Ana.

John brings his attention back to Phoebe. "Go on, what happened after that?"

"I punished her"

"You mean you spanked her" Ana corrects him. She disapproves of the punishment and hasn't been afraid to let him know that. "That's where the problem is John. Our daughter is angry with Christian and we haven't been able to resolve things."

"As you can see my wife doesn't approve of what I did" Christian chimes in. "And neither does my daughter. But I don't see anything wrong with punishing my child when she defies us and puts herself at risk."

"Has your daughter told you she disapproves?"

"She said I violated her" Christian says, still confused by the accusation.

"And you don't think she should feel that way?" John asks, tapping his pen on his face.

"No, I don't. I'm her father. If it was another kid, then yes I would say that it's inappropriate."

"It's inappropriate when our kid is fifteen, Christian" Ana says with a raised voice, shocking him. She looks to John hoping that he will back her on up this, but he doesn't say anything.

"I wasn't aware that we came here to fight about this" Christian says coldly.

"I don't want to fight about this. I want to know how to help our daughter. And I don't want you to spank her anymore" Ana says almost pleadingly.

Christian shakes his head. "I can't promise that Ana. I refuse to let her run wild. But I can promise that I'll only do it if she does something extremely dangerous."

Ana looks to John again. "John, surely you can explain to my husband that he's in the wrong here."

John shakes his head. "I can't express my opinion about that Ana. But, I can suggest you think about your daughter's feelings on the subject. And I also need to suggest that you take a look at why you think punishing her this way is necessary. Given your past, you….."

Christian interrupts him. "Fuck! Flynn, my past? Really?"

"Christian, calm down" Ana tries when she sees her husband's anger increase. He ignores her.

"I do not get sexual gratification out of punishing my children. That is just sick. I can't believe you would even bring that up"

John is relaxed in his chair, unaffected by Christian's outburst. He has been used to it for a while now. "I never believed that, but you needed to say it out loud, just to be sure."

Ana rubs Christian's arm, and without looking at her he angrily pulls it away.

"Why don't you let Phoebe come see me? We can have a session with the three of us, or a private session if she wishes" John suggests. Ana nods in agreement and then looks at her husband.

"Fine"

"Very good" John says. "I have an opening tomorrow night"

"Tomorrow, we'll be here" Ana answers him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

At the house, Teddy and Phoebe are sitting in the main room. They are both reading books that are required for school. Teddy takes a break from reading and closes his book. He looks up at his sister. She feels him staring at her so she looks up to meet his stare.

"What?"

Teddy sighs. "You haven't told Dad where you were on Friday"

"So?"

"Phoebe, you are driving him crazy, and it's only going to get worse. Why don't you just tell him?"

"I don't want him to know" she answers him. She attempts to resume her reading.

"Tell me then" he says.

Phoebe scoffs. "Yeah right, so you can go running to Dad with the information. No thanks"

"You know, I don't get you sometimes. It's like you get off on pissing Dad off. Are you doing it to get his attention?"

Phoebe is outraged. "No, of course not. I'd rather he pay less attention to me"

"You don't mean that." Teddy says. "There are kids out there that are neglected by their parents. Dad was one of them until Grandma and Grandpa took him in."

"I know that Teddy" Phoebe says with a hint of attitude.

"He loves us. He has a weird way of showing it, and I know he can be overbearing and controlling, but that's just because he doesn't want anything bad to happen to us"

Teddy's words start to sink in with Phoebe and she softens.

"Just, go easy on him, will ya?" he asks. They are interrupted when their parents walk into the room. Christian doesn't say anything. He is still pissed from their session with Flynn. He looks at both of his kids and then walks out of the room and closes the door to his study.

Teddy looks at Phoebe again. "You know I'm right"

"Right about what?" Ana asks him.

"Nothing Mom" he holds out his hands to take Natalie from her. "Why don't you let me take her for a while?"

"That would be great Teddy. Phoebe, come help me prepare dinner"

Phoebe obeys. She closes her book and follows her mother into the kitchen.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Dinner is quiet, except for the sounds that Christian makes as he roughly chews his chicken. Ana and Teddy keep taking turns looking up at Christian and Phoebe. They have not once exchanged glances since sitting down at the table. Ana notices that Phoebe is eating, although at a very slow pace, but that is something. Christian puts his fork down with a loud ringing sound against his plate and wipes his mouth with his napkin. He is still chewing.

"Where did you guys go today?" Teddy asks them. Ana looks over at Christian and figures that he is not in the mood for talking.

"We went to see Doctor Flynn"

"Oh" Teddy responds, not knowing what else to say.

Ana continues. "We've made an appointment to see him again tomorrow night. We'd like you to come with us Phoebe"

Phoebe looks up at her mother, her eyes wide. She was not expecting this at all, and she is slightly angry.

Christian finally looks at his daughter. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He says softly. "We're not going to force you to go."

Ana lightly places her hand on Phoebe's arm. "But it might help" she adds. "It's no secret that your father is a difficult man, he was when I met him." She glances over at Christian, who doesn't seem to mind her words. She looks back at her daughter. "That's why he let me see Doctor Flynn. And, I felt a lot better after talking to him."

Phoebe looks at her father and then back at her mother. "Okay, I'll go" she says. Ana smiles and looks back at her husband again.


	7. Big Fever

The next morning Christian stands in the master bedroom and observes the amazing view that he and his wife are fortunate to wake up to every morning. Ana walks over to him and wraps her arms around him from behind.

"Good Morning Mr Grey" she says to him softly and lovingly.

He takes one of her hands, draws it up to his lips and kisses each knuckle. "Good Morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I sure did. You see, I have this amazing husband that got up with our three month old daughter both times when she needed to be fed"

"Mm, this husband of yours sounds pretty special. Are you trying to make me jealous Mrs Grey?" He turns around and touches his nose to hers.

"You are my amazing husband. Mine, and no one else's." She kisses him passionately, and he returns the kiss. When he pulls away he leans his forehead against hers.

"I'd love to stay up here with you all day, but I need to go police our kids into eating breakfast and leaving for school on time." He pulls his head away from hers but still holds both of her hands in his.

"Go get 'em" she says. He kisses both of her hands and leaves the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian walks into the kitchen and immediately walks over to the refrigerator. He fishes out the orange juice and pours himself a glass. Teddy is sitting at the breakfast bar eating his breakfast. Christian drinks some of his juice before addressing an obvious missing presence at the breakfast bar. "Where's your sister?"

"I think she's in the bathroom" he answers his father without looking up from his breakfast. For such a lean kid he sure does eat a lot and fast.

"I woke her up an hour ago. Why is she still in the bathroom?" Christian asks. He is clearly annoyed.

"You know, girls take longer to get ready"

"Shit, she's going to school, not the prom" Christian snaps. He leaves the room and approaches the foyer with purpose. He climbs the stairs to the second floor and is instantly outside of the bathroom door. He knocks but there is no answer.

"Phoebe" he calls for her. "Come on, I know you're in there. You need to get moving so you're not late for school." There is no answer, but Christian is pretty sure that Phoebe is in there. "Phoebe?" he calls for her again, and then hears the distinct sound of her vomiting. He quickly reaches up for the key to unlock the door. He rushes in and softens when he sees his daughter leaning over the toilet. He crouches down and takes her hair in his hand to hold it away from her face. He gently rubs her back with the other hand as she continues to vomit.

After a short while she stops. He lets go of her and makes his way to the closet to pull out a wash cloth. He runs cool water over it and crouches behind his daughter again. He hands it to her so she can clean her face. Ana walks in and sees the two of them on the floor. "Is everything alright?"

"Our baby is sick, Ana." He reaches up around Phoebe and places his hand over her forehead. "She has a fever."

"Do you know where the thermometer is?" she asks.

"In our bathroom" he answers her as he smoothes Phoebe's hair back with his damp hands.

_Always the control freak, of course he knows where the thermometer is_. Phoebe wants her parents to stop fussing. "Let me go, I'm okay" she struggles to move away from Christian, but he doesn't let her. She is so weak. He kneels and pulls her back so she is leaning against his chest.

"Just relax, okay? Don't waste your energy fighting me on this" he says to her softly. Christian is always good with showing his softer side when his kids are ill. They wait in silence for Ana to return. When she does, she runs the thermometer over Phoebe's forehead and face. Ana looks at it and widens her eyes.

"What is it?" Christian asks.

"Hundred and two. No school for you baby"

"Should we call my mother?" Christian asks as Phoebe struggles to stand.

"Please stop fussing, I'll be fine" she says, but then everything goes dark. As quickly as she tries to stand she collapses. Christian catches her and immediately scoops her up in his arms.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana talk in the hallway after putting Phoebe back in her room. Christian wants to call his mother, but Ana doesn't think it is necessary. She doesn't want to run to his mother every time there is a cut or scrape with their kids, which is pretty much what they've been doing since their kids were babies. She's been trying to put a stop to that and only saving the "Mommy Grey" card for emergencies.

"She needs to stay in bed, take medicine and drink fluids" Ana says to her husband in an attempt to calm him. "Tell you what, if her fever doesn't go down by later this afternoon then we'll call your mother."

Christian ponders this for a few seconds. "Okay. We'll do it your way. But if her fever gets worse…."

"If it gets worse, then yes, we'll call her" Ana agrees. "I can't stay home with her. I have clients flying in from New York"

"New York?" he asks as he raises an eyebrow.

"Yes" she confirms. "They were supposed to come out here three months ago, but our Natalie decided to make an early appearance into the world. So, I can't put it off again."

Christian nods. "Okay, I'll stay home with her"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"We'll be fine. We agreed that one of us would stay home with our kids when they're sick. I don't want anyone else taking care of them when they're ill"

"I know" Ana says and puts her arms around his neck. "Be nice to her, okay?"

"I'm always nice, Mrs Grey" he says to her. He reaches down and kisses her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe slowly flutters her eyes open. They feel so heavy, and her head feels like it is being pumped with air. When her eyes are open and things come into focus, she sees her father sitting on her bed. _How did I get here? I thought I was in the bathroom_.

"What happened?" she asks weakly.

"You collapsed"

"Oh" She looks around her room. "Where's Mom?"

Christian smirks. "It's nice to see you too. She had to go to work. I'll be staying home with you today." Phoebe tries not to look annoyed, but she can't help it. "How are you feeling?"

Phoebe tries to sit up, but she's weak. "Empty"

"I can see why. The only thing in your stomach was that delicious chicken lasagna that you and your mother made last night"

Phoebe starts to feel sick again and tries to get out of bed, but Christian stops her.

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"Bathroom" she says quickly, trying to avoid vomiting in her room.

Christian puts a bucket in front of her. "Here, use this"

"No, I want the bathroom." She tries to struggle again, but she can't get out of bed.

"Phoebe" he says as he holds the bucket in front of her again. She can't keep it in any longer. She stops struggling and grabs the bucket with both hands, vomiting into it. Christian holds her hair again and works to make sure she doesn't let go of the bucket. When she is finished, he puts the bucket on the floor and puts the tissues in her hands. She has tears in her eyes from being sick and feverish. She grabs a few tissues and cleans her face.

"Ew, that's so gross" she says through tears.

"I know" Christian agrees. He leans down to pick up the bucket. "You need to stay in bed so you don't pass out again. I'm going to go clean this out, and I'll bring back a wet wash cloth for you, okay?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe doesn't look up at him, but she nods her head.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few hours later, Phoebe is asleep and Christian is emailing his wife with his blackberry.

============================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Monday 11:04am PST  
Subject: Our Daughter

My Dearest Ana,

You'll be happy to know that our daughter is resting peacefully. And I am being nice to her. I have also restrained myself from calling my mother, although I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to resist the urge to have my mother tend to our feverish daughter. I'll do my best, for you baby. Please tell me how your day is going with those eastern snobs… er, New York publishers.

Your Loving Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.

He waits for a few moments for a response, but it doesn't come. _She must be busy with meetings. She works too hard. _As he walks through the upstairs hallway he hears the ping from his blackberry and immediately fishes it out.

============================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Monday 11:15am PST  
Subject: RE: Our Daughter

My Dearest Christian,

Thank you for updating me on our daughter. I know she is in good hands. And I am also glad that you are restraining yourself from calling your mother, although I wish I was there with you, doing the restraining. The eastern snobs, as you call them, are sitting about five feet away from me right now discussing a few manuscripts. They have some good ideas, but I won't bore you with the details. I can think of some better ways to spend our evening.

Your Loving Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
============================

Christian reads the email and smirks. He writes back

============================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Monday 11:17am PST  
Subject: Naughty Thoughts

Now, now, what would your clients think if they knew what you were thinking right now? Naughty girl. I have my own ideas of how I'd like to spend our evening. I hope you are up for it.

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.

From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Monday 11:19am PST  
Subject: RE: Naughty Thoughts

I'm up for it, and looking forward to it.

Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
============================

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian checks on Phoebe at noon. He brings her some soup, a glass of water and some medicine. Her eyes flutter open when she feels his presence and she moans.

"How are we feeling?" he asks her.

"I don't think I can eat that" she says after she eyes the bowl in his hand. She covers her eyes with her hands.

He puts the bowl, glass and medicine on her bed table and sits down. He reaches under her bed and pulls out a lap table that she uses for her laptop. He sets it up for her and then puts it aside to help her sit up. She isn't thrilled with his insistence. She feels like a rag doll. She has no energy to sit up and eat a bowl of soup. After he lifts her he adjusts her pillows so she can lean back against them. He puts the lap table over her legs and puts the soup in front of her, but she makes no move to eat the soup.

"I can feed it to you if you'd like" he says, knowing that she will refuse the offer.

"No"

"Then eat. It will help you get your energy back"

She caves. She knows that he will not let up until she eats some of the soup. He is sitting on her bed, two feet away from her, watching her. _He's so infuriating_. She is uncoordinated as she lifts the spoon with her right hand and dips it into the soup. She hesitates for a few moments before she pulls the spoon toward her mouth. She manages to do it without spilling any of it. She can feel her father smiling at her, but she doesn't look up at him. She is concentrating on the soup, and her shaky hand holding the spoon. She doesn't want to spill it. She doesn't want to eat all of it. _Maybe he will be satisfied as long as I eat some of it_. After eight spoon fulls, she has had enough. She puts the spoon into the bowl.

"I can't" she says in defeat, and Christian knows that she means it.

"Okay, you did well. We'll try some more in a few hours. Do you want to go back to sleep?" She nods, her eyes looking down and tired. "Okay, take this medicine first. It will help with your fever." She does as she's told and takes the pills that he puts in her hand. She struggles to take a few sips of the water to wash it down, and then holds the glass out for him to take it from her. He takes it and puts it on the table. He reaches up to feel her head and it is still hot. He worries and thinks about calling his mother again, but then remembers that he had promised his wife that he wouldn't.

"Don't call Grandma. She's just going to tell you that I have a fever" she says weakly.

_How did she know what I was thinking?_ Christian adjusts her pillows again so that she can lie down. She is quick to cooperate, she is so tired. He covers her up with her heavy blanket. "Sleep baby" he says to her, and her eyes are instantly closed.


	8. Big Fever 2

_**Thank you for all of the reviews, positive and negative. I didn't start this fanfic with the expectation that everyone would like it. I've also received some private messages and I am so glad to hear that some of you know what I am going for with this story. I'm glad for those who are enjoying it and I thank you for reading. Don't worry, I'm not going for a teen pregnancy story here and I never intended to, although I figured that would be the impression. I needed an excuse for Christian and Phoebe to spend time together. Happy Reading!**_

* * *

Phoebe wakes around three. She lies in her bed for a few minutes and looks around. Things come into focus. She does a quick mental check of her body. Head? _Doesn't hurt that much_. Stomach, Chest? _Yeah, they hurt. Must be from all the vomiting_. She grimaces at the thought and holds her stomach as she sits up. She slowly moves her legs around to the edge of the bed and stands. She stands for a few seconds to make sure she isn't dizzy. When she is confident with herself she walks over to her door. It is open and she nearly walks into her father's chest.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asks her. He is holding a cup of tea and bag of crackers in one hand and the thermometer in the other.

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders, and then remembers that she is not five years old. "I need a shower"

"No" Christian says and moves his head to motion her to get back in bed.

"Please, I feel so gross, I need to wash up"

"Phoebe, you have no energy, you can pass out again. No shower"

"Okay, then I'll take a bath. Please?"

Christian takes a breath and softens. "Okay, but Mrs Taylor will need to sit with you"

"No, Dad, that's embarrassing. I don't need a babysitter while I'm taking a bath. I promise I won't fill the water too high and I won't drown"

Christian ponders this for a moment. "Fine, but I'll fix the bath for you. Wait here and I'll collect you when it's ready." He puts the tea, crackers and thermometer on the bed table and leaves the room. Phoebe has a slight smile spread across her face, feeling a small victory.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Phoebe takes a bath in the master bathroom, Christian sits in the bedroom and feels the need to verbally check on her every three minutes, just to make sure she hasn't drowned.

"Phoebe" he calls out as he works on his laptop.

"I'm okay" she answers. She knows if she doesn't answer him he will come storming in to check on her, so she is happy to answer him if she can avoid the intrusion.

"I think you've been in there long enough. Are you almost finished?" he calls out again.

"Yeah, I'm finished" she says. She's been able to wash herself with her mother's soft body wash and her hair with her mother's shampoo and conditioner. She loves to use her mother's soaps and makeup. For a short time she's been able to forget that she's sick and weak, until her father reminds her.

"Are you able to get yourself out and put a towel on?" he asks.

"Yes" she calls out, trying not to sound too annoyed. She climbs out and puts a big towel around herself. She starts to walk toward the bedroom and her father greets her. She stops in front of him.

"Uh uh, towel" he says to her, referring to the smaller one for her wet hair. She turns and retrieves the smaller towel that he left for her on the vanity and walks over to him again.

"Are you okay walking?" he asks her softly.

"I'm sick Dad, not crippled" she says, this time sounding annoyed. He gives her a warning look.

"Sorry, yes, I can walk. I wish you would stop fussing" she says as she walks past him. He follows her into her bedroom. She climbs onto her bed while he fishes out a nightgown for her from her closet. He comes back and puts it over her head. She puts her arms through and then realizes that it is a nightgown that she likes.

"No, I don't wanna wear this one" she says.

"Don't start" Christian warns. He pulls the towel out from under her nightgown and throws it on the floor by the door.

"I like this one, I don't want to mess it up if I throw up again"

"I don't think you need to worry about vomiting again" he says to her as he sits on her bed next to her. He begins to towel dry her hair. She doesn't complain, she likes when people play with and brush her hair. "The last few times were just dry heaves. Unless of course you think the eight spoon fulls of soup plan to make an appearance." She turns and gives him a look. "That's right, I counted. How are you feeling?"

"A little better."

He reaches up and feels her forehead. _Still warm_. "Let's take your temperature again." He reaches over for the thermometer and runs it across her forehead and face. He waits for the results and nods.

"What is it?" she asks.

"Hundred and One. It only went down one degree." When he is done towel drying her hair he stands and pulls the blanket over her lap. "You need to stay in bed" he says to her. He sits down on the bed again, this time in front her. "Are you hungry?"

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "A little"

"Good. Eat some of these crackers. I'll go heat up the tea for you"

"No that's okay" she stops him. "I can drink it cold"

He sits with her while she eats the crackers and drinks the tea. She enjoys his company, but she is not forgetting about Friday night. "I'm still mad at you"

"I know" he says with a sigh. "I wish you would tell me where you were on Friday"

She looks up at him from her tea, and then looks down again as she drinks it.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because….. I just can't" she can't think of a good answer for him. _Why can't I? Oh yeah, I remember_. "You'll freak out"

"I already freaked out. And I might just do it again if you don't tell me"

Phoebe tenses as she remembers his cold demeanor that night. "You'll hit me again?" she asks nervously.

Christian sighs. "No" he says and looks down. "I already punished you for what you did on Friday. I don't need to do it again"

"Well that's a relief" she says and takes another sip of her tea.

"That's not to say I'll never do it again. If you do something dangerous, put yourself at risk, if you defy us like that again I will spank you"

"I'm too old for my father to be spanking me. Why can't you see that?" she asks him before she can stop herself.

"I don't agree. You are still a child and you still have to follow my rules." He says to her. He does his best to keep his tone low but it is getting more and more difficult as the conversation continues.

"What about Teddy?" she challenges him.

"What about him?"

"Would you spank him if he breaks your rules?"

"Of course I would, But Teddy hasn't done anything wrong. And neither have you until recently" he explains.

_Good point. Teddy has always been the good one_. "But if he does?"

"Then yes. I'm a fair man, I wouldn't punish one of you and not the other" he says to her.

Phoebe sighs and almost cries. She isn't getting anywhere with him. He still thinks that what he did is okay. A tear starts to form in her eye, and Christian can see that. "Look, you're not feeling well, you're tired, you're emotional, let's stop talking about this, okay?"

Phoebe is looking away from him. She nods. He leans over and kisses her warm forehead.

"Lie down" he softly demands, and she obeys. She wants to sleep, but she doesn't think she'll be able to. He covers her with the blanket and leaves her to rest. His blackberry pings and he fishes it out of his pocket as he walks through the upstairs hallway. He smiles, an email from Ana.

=========================================  
To: Christian Grey  
From: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Monday 4:15pm PST  
Subject: Tonight

Dear Christian,  
Teddy and I will be home a little late. I just found out we have an errand to run. We will be home in time for dinner. Collins will be bringing Natalie home with some milk that I pumped. It's not a lot so please feed that to her and then some formula.  
I will see you when I get home.

Love, Ana

Anastasia Grey, CEO, SIP  
=========================================

_What errand does she need to run with Teddy?_ He is about to respond to the email when he hears the sound of his baby girl crying. He rushes downstairs and greets Collins in the foyer. He is carrying Natalie in the baby seat, and she is crying.

"It's okay baby, Daddy's here" he says to her as he unbuckles her straps and lifts her. He holds her to his chest and bounces to soothe her. Collins reaches in the diaper bag and pulls out the small cooler with the milk. Christian takes it from him. "Thank you, that will be all"

He walks into the main room with Natalie, still crying in his arms. He sits on the couch and quickly pulls a bib around her. He then shifts her so that she is comfortable and feeds the bottle to her. She stops crying and immediately sucks on the nipple. She has tears in her eyes from crying, but she is no longer upset.

It is quiet in the main room, with the exception of Natalie breathing and sucking on the nipple. She finishes the bottle within minutes and starts to cry again. Christian is relieved when Gail appears with an already made bottle. He can't help but smile at Gail, always knowing what to do before being asked. "Thanks Gail" he says. He immediately starts to feed the other bottle to Natalie and she calms. When she is finished her bottle she is instantly asleep. Christian smiles and just holds her in his arms for a while. There's something about babies that just brings peace to his heart.


	9. Big Spill

Phoebe wakes with a jolt around seven. Her eyes dart open and she nervously looks around her room as she lies on her back. She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep. A minute goes by and she realizes what woke her. Her phone vibrates on her bed table. She struggles to sit up and reaches over for her phone. It is a text message from her cousin Ava.

**Hey Girl, Teddy knows something. He beat Jay up pretty bad. I think he's in big trouble**

_Oh no!_ Phoebe panics. She forgets about how sick and weak she is and makes her way out of her room and down the stairs. She can hear her father yelling from the foyer. She stands at the entrance of the kitchen unnoticed. Teddy and Ana are sitting on barstools and Christian is standing in the middle of the kitchen, shouting at his son.

"You know better than to fight in school, you know better!" he shouts.

_Poor Teddy, he is so pale, he looks so scared_.

"I have you and your sister taking lessons to defend yourselves when you need to, not start the fights!" he continues to shout. "You are going to tell my why you started the fight"

"Daddy" Phoebe yelps. Suddenly all eyes are on her. She is in her nightgown and bare feet. She looks exhausted and her hair is a mess, all knotted and sticking out in places. Christian is not pleased.

"Why are you out of bed?" he snaps. His entire body is filled with rage.

She goes for a distraction. "I'm hungry" she lies, she knows that will keep her in the room for a short while. She looks over at Ana and Teddy. "What happened?" she asks nervously.

"This doesn't concern you" Christian says coldly.

Phoebe continues to look at Ana and Teddy and waits for one of them to answer. "Your brother was arrested" Ana says regrettably.

"Ana, this doesn't concern her. Phoebe, go back to bed" he snaps again, pointing his finger toward the foyer. But Phoebe doesn't budge. She knows that this concerns her, and Ana and Teddy know it too. Teddy looks at his sister, his expression full of regret and sadness. He is in trouble because of her, because of what he did for her.

"This does concern me Daddy" she says softly. Christian's eyes grow wide at Phoebe, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Phoebe, you don't have to" Teddy says, but he is immediately scolded.

"Quiet!" Christian shouts at his son. He looks back at his daughter and lowers his tone. "How does this concern you?"

Phoebe looks down at her fingers, which she is currently knotting in front of her stomach. She doesn't want to tell him, but now she has no choice. She has to help her brother.

"How does this concern you, Phoebe?" he asks again, this time his tone is not so low.

"I was with Jay on Friday night" she says softly.

"Phoebe, don't" Teddy says again.

"Teddy, I swear to god…" Christian snaps again, but Ana stops him.

"Christian please. This isn't helping"

Christian looks back at Phoebe. "Define _with_" he says to her.

"I went for a ride with him"

Christian shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair. "How do you even know this kid? He's in Teddy's class. He's older than you."

"He's in my geography class" she explains, her voice is still low. She is so nervous. And the fact that she has a fever doesn't help matters. "He asked me out, and I told him about you and the security… it was his idea to ditch Sawyer, and he helped me do it." When she stops talking she looks down at her fingers again. And then she looks over at Teddy.

Christian looks over at Teddy. "How do you know about this?" he asks him, annoyed that his wife and son know about Phoebe's story and he doesn't.

"I overheard him talking to his friends today, about Phoebe"

"What was he saying?" Christian asks him. Teddy sighs and looks at his sister apologetically. "Theodore, what was he saying?"

"He was bragging, said he was with Phoebe on Friday"

"And?" Christian snaps. He knows there is more to this story.

Teddy sighs again. "He said he went all the way with her…" he looks up at all three of his family members, they have confused looks on their faces. "Sex" he whispers the word and flexes his hands outward to make a point, but Christian heard him loud and clear.

"What?" Christian and Phoebe both snap in unison.

Christian runs both hands through his hair and looks down for a few seconds, as though he is counting to ten. Phoebe is frozen in her place and starts to feel sick again. Christian looks up at her and waits for confirmation. Her eyes meet his, and she panics.

"Daddy, it's not true" she shakes her head. "I didn't" tears start to roll down her face, and Ana is by her side instantly.

"Then what _did_ happen?" he asks her harshly.

"We went for a ride" she starts her story, avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible. _This is so humiliating_. "He drove us out a few miles away from the pizza restaurant, to a park, I think" she pauses and tries to catch her breath before she continues, this time with more emotion in her voice. "I thought he was just going to kiss me, at least that's what I wanted him to do." More tears start to run down her face. This is becoming too much for her, but Christian wants the whole story.

"What did he do to you?" he asks coldly, rage still radiating from his body.

Ana is holding Phoebe's shoulders as she continues. Phoebe wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "He um, he did kiss me, and then he started feeling me up, and I didn't want him to, so I told him to stop"

"And did he?"

"Yeah, then we talked for a bit, and then he started to kiss me again. He took off my shirt, but I felt okay about that. But then he…." Phoebe starts to cry, and Ana grips her shoulders tighter. Christian hates to see his daughter like this, this is killing him. He'd like nothing more than to hold her and tell her that everything is going to be alright, but he knows he needs to keep her talking. It is now or never.

"What did he do?" Christian asks.

Phoebe tries to compose herself enough to finish her story. She takes a breath but the tears are still streaming down her face. "He took it out" she says through her sobs and tears. "He wanted… he wanted me to…. touch it…. and…" she is unable to find the words. She continues to cry at the memory of him holding his erection and expecting her to put it in her mouth. _Gross!_

Teddy is also by her side now as she sinks to the ground. He sits on the ground with her and holds her. Ana also kneels down and rubs Phoebe's back. She looks up at her husband. He is still, not sure what to do or what to say.

Phoebe is able to catch her breath and continue. "I screamed. And he got angry. He made me get out of the car, he threw my shirt at me and he took off." She sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand again. Ana stands, walks over to the counter for the tissues and brings them back to Phoebe. She kneels down again and hands the box to her.

"He left you, all alone in the dark in the park" Christian says coldly. "No ride, no phone, he just left you there"

Phoebe nods and blows her nose into the tissue.

"You walked all the way home?" he asks for clarification.

Phoebe nods again.

"Shit!" Christian swears and runs both this hands through his hair again.

"Please don't punish Teddy" Phoebe begs after a few minutes of silence.

Christian looks back at his family, still on the floor. "I don't condone my kids starting fist fights at school. Teddy needs to be punished" he says.

Phoebe starts to panic. "Please don't, don't hit him, please" she shakes her head. Teddy grows nervous and looks at his father. Christian crosses his arms. He will not be distracted by his daughter's emotional state.

"Theodore, go to your room and wait for me. Now!" he says coldly. Teddy gulps, he wouldn't dare disobey his father. He starts to stand but he is pulled back down by Phoebe.

"No, no no no, you can't, please. You can't hit him" Phoebe begs again. She continues to cry and Teddy holds her again.

"Teddy, please take your sister upstairs" Ana says to him gently. Teddy helps his sister to her feet and scoops her up into his arms. He carries her out of the room.

Ana gingerly walks over to her husband and puts her hands on his shoulders. He is not amused. He frowns at her. "I know that what you just heard is extremely disturbing" she says to him calmly.

"Disturbing?" he asks and he seems to be testing the word in his head. He nods. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it. This just proves that bad things happen when people defy me" he growls. But Ana keeps her hands on his shoulders.

"I sent our kids out of the room because I need you to calm down, before you do or say something you'll regret" she says to him.

"You want me to calm down" he says to her sarcastically. "Our daughter gives our security team the slip in order to… what, be kissed, only to nearly be raped? And our son, inadvertently takes a page out of my book and beats the shit out of the kid that did this to her."

"He was looking out for his sister. I don't like what he did, but I'm proud of him. And I'm proud of our daughter for looking out for her brother just now." Ana moves her hands to her husband's face and forces him to look at her. "Our kids are not perfect. They are at the age where they are realizing that they have minds of their own and they are going to question our authority. And you're right, bad things happen if they defy us, and Phoebe knows that now. You saw her, she was terrified with what could have happened to her."

"I don't want her to be terrified" Christian says softly. "That's why we have rules, that's why we have security, to keep her safe. I wanted to keep her innocent for as long as possible." He pulls away from Ana, forcing her to drop her hands. He starts to pace. "And now, god, she's probably scarred for life after having that fuckin kid shove his dick in her face." He runs both his hands through his hair again.

"I wanted to keep her innocent too" Ana says as she walks over to her husband again. He is digging his palms into the counter. She wraps her arms around his waist from behind and rests her head on his back. "We will get her through this."

They stand like that for a few minutes before Christian turns around to face his wife, forcing her to let go. "And Teddy?"

"You are not spanking our son" she says to him firmly. He opens his mouth to protest but she stops him. "No" she holds up her index finger as she says it. "Hard limit Grey"

Christian closes his mouth and glares at his wife for a moment, then he slowly starts to smirk, then he lets out a light chuckle. "Fine, but that hard limit does not extend to my naughty wife" he says to her as he puts his hands on her face. He kisses her, and she kisses him back. He pulls away from the kiss but keeps his hands on her face. "You went behind my back when you found out Teddy was arrested… made up some lie about having to run an errand." He kisses her again, and then pulls away from the kiss. "You kept our daughter's secret from me." He continues the torture by kissing her again, and then pulling away from the kiss. "You undermined me when I told our son to go to his room." This time he doesn't kiss her. He looks into her eyes, gray to blue.

Ana puts her arms around his neck. "What are you going to do to me Mr Grey?"

"Oh, I have a few ideas" he says before he kisses her again, this time longer and harder. "But first we need to deal with our offspring."


	10. Big Relief

Phoebe is sitting on her bed, her knees bent and her arms wrapped around her thighs. She has stopped crying, but tears continue to trickle down her cheeks. Once in a while she brings a hand up to wipe her tears. She is numb and has a stone cold expression on her face. Ana is sitting next to her, gently running a brush through her long brown knotted hair. Teddy is also in the room. He is standing across from her bed and leaning back against her dresser, his palms gripping the edge. He has been nervous ever since his sister begged their father not to hit him. He never believed his father would ever do that. Then again, he's never been in any real trouble, until now.

"We were supposed to go see Doctor Flynn" Phoebe says, her voice nearly inaudible.

"Your father cancelled the appointment because you're sick" Ana explains to her.

The mood in the room tenses when Christian appears. He is holding a bowl of soup in one hand and a glass of water in the other. He also has medicine for Phoebe's fever tucked under his arm.

"Theodore" he says with authority.

"No, please Daddy don't, please" Phoebe starts to cry again. Ana tries to comfort her as she looks at her husband. Phoebe puts her head in her hands and cries.

"It's alright Phoebe" Christian says softly as he looks down at his wife and daughter. He turns his attention back to his son and increases his tone. "Son, your behavior today was completely unacceptable. There are other ways to solve your problems that don't involve using your fists." Christian pauses, making the mood in the room even more tense. Phoebe and Teddy do not know where he is going with this. They wait in silence until he speaks up. "You are grounded for two weeks."

Teddy starts to relax, and Phoebe stops crying. All eyes are on Christian, and his eyes are still on Teddy. "No iPad, no television, no hanging out with friends, and your music and game features on your phone will be suspended for two weeks. Understood?"

"Yes sir" he says to his father.

"Good" he looks back at his wife and daughter, and things start to calm down in the room. "Mrs Taylor has prepared our dinner. Why don't the two of you go down and start without me?" he says to his wife and son. They both stand and leave the room, and Ana gives her husband a quick kiss on her way out.

Phoebe keeps still on her bed, taking in the events of the last five minutes. She is not aware that her father has sat down until he starts speaking. "When you said you were hungry, that was music to my ears" he says softly.

"I think I've lost my appetite" she responds in an even softer voice.

"Don't be like that. You got your way, I didn't spank your brother, even if he did deserve it."

Phoebe wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "If you need to punish somebody, punish me. It's my fault he beat up Jay."

Christian is touched that his daughter would take her brother's punishment. "I know he did it for you. I admire how the two of you look out for each other. I just wish that didn't involve keeping things from me" he says sadly.

"You're not always easy to talk to" she admits as she glances up at him. She quickly looks back down at her knees.

"I know I'm not. I suppose I need to work on that." He reaches down under the bed and pulls out the lap table again. He sets it up and puts it in front of her after she stretches her legs out in front of her. Then he carefully puts the soup in front of her and holds the spoon out for her. "Here, take it." She takes the spoon from him and thinks about eating the soup. "You need to get your strength back, then you'll start to feel better" he says to her softly.

She starts to eat the soup, nice and slow. Christian smiles and sits with her until she finishes. She manages to eat all of it, earning her a big smile from her father. It's been a while since she's seen him smile like that, and it makes her temporarily forget about her problems.

"Good girl" he says to her proudly. He takes the soup bowl away and puts it on the bed table. He puts the medicine in her hand again and she takes it with the water. He feels her forehead and frowns when he notices how warm she still is. "We need to talk about what you went through on Friday, but we'll wait until you are feeling better" he says to her. She grimaces as she is reminded of her ordeal, and then remembers that she told her father everything that happened.

"Are you going to hit me?" she asks, earning her a confused look.

"No, I told you, I already punished you for what you did on Friday" he tries to assure her. _Why does she keep asking me this?_

"I just figured, since you know more about it now, and you're angry…."

"Yes, I'm angry" he cuts her off, and then catches his angry tone. He shakes his head and immediately changes tack. "I want you to stop worrying about punishment. As long as you follow the rules and do what you're told everything is going to be fine, okay?"

Phoebe nods her head.

"Good. Are you still hungry?" Phoebe shakes her head. He leans forward and plants two kisses on her forehead. "You should get some sleep. Lie down, I'll tuck you in." She does as she's told. He takes the lap table away and puts it under her bed. He pulls the blanket over her and sits for a few seconds, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "Sleep baby" he says softly. He stands and turns the light out. As he leaves the room he is halted by the sound of her sweet voice.

"Daddy" he turns around and looks down at her. "Thank you for taking care of me." He smiles, and waits a few more seconds before leaving her room and closing her door.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are in bed. The lights are out and all that could be heard is her heavy breathing. They have decided to let Natalie sleep in her nursery so that she wouldn't be subjected to their kinky fuckery. Ana's hands are tied above her head with his tie, her favorite gray tie that they had kept over the years just for this purpose. The tie is also knotted around the bedpost. He is slowly working his way down her body with his mouth, licking and sucking. His mouth is on her right breast when he interrupted by an unexpected outburst from his wife.

"Phoebe" she blurts out. Christian stops immediately and looks up at his wife. She is still breathing heavily.

He blinks a few times before he speaks. "You know I love our children dearly, but now is hardly the time or the place to be calling out their names." He starts to suck and lick between her breasts, but she stops him again.

"No, honey I really think she needs something"

"What?" he looks up at her again, confused.

"I just have a feeling. I need to check"

Christian stops her attempts and decides to tease her. "There's just one problem Mrs Grey. You seem to be a little tied up at the moment." He leans up and kisses her lips. "I'll go check." He climbs off of the bed and slips on pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. He starts to leave but Ana stops him.

"Ahem" she makes the exaggerated sound of clearing her throat.

"What?" he turns around and acts oblivious, all part of his plan to torture her.

"You're not going to leave me like this." Ana is still tied to the bed and completely naked.

"I won't be long" he says with a sly look on his face.

"Christian" she lightly scolds. "What if the baby wakes up?"

"I will check on her too." He walks over to the bed again and climbs on top of her. He kisses her lips again. "Now you keep still Anastasia, unless of course you want another good hiding from your husband." She blushes, and he smiles. "Oh Mrs Grey, after nineteen years of marriage I still manage to make your cheeks pink." He kisses her again. "All of them."

He climbs off the bed again and starts to leave the room. "Don't fall asleep" he orders. He closes the door and locks it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian returns to find his wife sleeping. Her hands are still tied above her head. He removes his shirt and pajama bottoms and slowly climbs on top of her again. He kisses her face softly and she stirs awake. "You fell asleep" he says to her softly.

Ana glances over at the alarm clock while he kisses her neck. "Christian, you were gone for forty five minutes" she says a little louder than she means to.

"My apologies, but you were right, the baby needed to be fed. You have her on quite the schedule." He starts to swirl his index finger around her breast.

"Is Phoebe alright?"

"Yeah" he says with a smile. "Her fever finally broke." He leans down and kisses her above her breast.

"Really?"

"Yes. Her pillows were soaked so I had to get her some new ones."

"Did she wake up?"

"No, she's sound asleep." He looks into his wife's eyes and realizes that she's in pain. "Here, let me take care of these for you." He leans up and unties her hands. He helps her lower her arms so that her elbows are rested at her sides, her hands on her stomach. He starts to kiss every inch of her left arm, starting at the wrist and working his way up. When he reaches her shoulder he stops and repeats the process with the right arm, massaging her arm as he does it. "Better?" he asks, and she nods. "Good." He gently brings her wrists down so that they are rested on each side of her and holds them in place. He positions himself so that he is kneeling between her legs. "Cause I'm not done with you yet Mrs Grey."

* * *

**_Thank you again for all of the reviews. They definitely inspire me to write more, and there will be more._**


	11. Big Heart

Christian is in the kitchen rinsing out the baby's bottle. It is nearly five in the morning so the house is quiet. He starts to hear music, but he thinks his head is messing with him. _Why would music be playing at this hour?_ The music is a classical piece being played on the piano, and he notices that some of the keys are not right. _Phoebe?_ He finishes rinsing and walks into the library to find his daughter playing the piano. She doesn't notice him right away. He has a way of gliding into a room unnoticed. When she looks up she is startled, and she stops playing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you"

Phoebe takes a breath as he walks around the piano and sits on the bench with her. "It's okay"

"Why are you awake?" he asks her without a hint of reprimand.

"I should ask you the same thing." He gives her a warning look, and she knows she should answer his question. "I've been in bed for thirty hours. I'm restless. I tried to play quietly."

"You didn't wake me" he assures her. "I had to feed and change the baby. I didn't hear the music until I was in the kitchen."

Phoebe continues to play the piano, noticeably making mistakes. "You're rusty" he says. "Are you going to be ready for your recital in a few weeks?"

Phoebe pauses. She has a recital in a few weeks, but she won't just be playing piano. She's been practicing something else for the showcase, something her parents don't know about, which doesn't leave a lot of time for the piano. "I'll be ready" she finally answers him. "I just need to practice more."

"I want you to practice every afternoon until your recital" he says to her, and she grows slightly annoyed. She needs to change the subject.

"Did you get up with me and Teddy when we were babies?" she asks him while she continues to play.

"Yes, I did. Your mother always took you and your brother to work with her when you were babies, so the overnight feedings and changings were mostly me. It was my time to spend alone with you." He finishes with a big fond smile on this face.

"Did you ever get mad, about losing sleep?"

"No, not at all. It was more important to me that your mother got to sleep. Taking care of my wife and kids is the most important thing to me. Speaking of which, you should go back to bed. You're just getting over a fever."

"Wait, one more song first. With you" she smiles at him, and he can't resist. He returns the smile.

"Okay. What song would you like to play?"

Phoebe flips through some pages and finds a song they can play together. "This one"

Christian looks at the piece and laughs. "Heart and Soul." This is the song they play together very often. It started when she was five years old and asked him to teach her how to play. "Okay"

They sit and play the song together, both smiling and enjoying each other's company. This is the light and playful father that she knows and loves, very much different than the cold, strict parent that thinks spanking is the best method of punishment.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian comes into the kitchen about two hours later where Teddy is eating his breakfast at the bar. He doesn't say a word to his father. Christian pours himself a glass of orange juice and drinks it whole. He watches his son from where he stands by the sink as he puts his glass down. "You have in school suspension this week" he explains to him. "Sawyer will drop you off and pick you up."

Teddy is disappointed. "I can't take my car?"

"No, not while you're grounded." He watches Teddy pout and gets annoyed. "Or we can forget about the two week grounding and I can get the paddle. The choice is yours" he says to him coldly, and Teddy gets nervous.

"No sir" he says, he looks down at his breakfast and suddenly doesn't feel hungry anymore.

"Finish your breakfast. You need to leave in ten minutes so you're not late."

After Teddy finishes, he puts his bowl in the sink and leaves the room. Ana comes into the kitchen and joins her husband. He sits on the bar stool and welcomes her into his arms. She is still wearing her nightgown and she is wearing her silk robe on top of it. They kiss passionately for a few minutes.

"How is my wife doing this morning?" he asks softly.

"Mm, she's a little sore"

He reaches around under her robe, lifts her night gown and places his hands on her bare bottom. "Here?" She nods. "I like you sore, it will give you some things to think about while you stay home with our daughters." He kisses her again as he caresses her bottom with both hands. "I wish I could stay home too."

"What kind of example would we be setting for Phoebe if we both play hooky? No, you need to go to work and be the amazing CEO that you are. And then you can come home and be the amazing husband and father."

They kiss again and pull apart when Mrs Taylor comes into the kitchen. "Good Morning Gail" Ana says to her. Gail starts to make breakfast for the two of them, bacon and eggs. Ana leaves to see her son off to school and then comes back into the kitchen to join her husband. After Gail is done cooking she leaves them to eat. "I'm glad you grounded him for two weeks." She says to him as she drinks her tea.

"If he fights in school again I'm not going to go so easy on him"

"I know. We need to figure out what we're going to do about his hearing. We should probably hire a lawyer."

Christian continues to eat his breakfast and doesn't look at his wife. "We won't have to worry about that. It will all be taken care of"

Ana looks confused, and then worried. "What do you mean? What are you planning?"

Christian wipes his lips with his napkin. "That kid Jay, his father manages a bar and grill that I own."

"Christian, you're not thinking of liquidating the company."

"Come on, I'm not that cruel. No, I'm going to talk to his father about our kids, not just about what our son did to his kid, but also about how his kid was inappropriate with our daughter. I'm sure we can work out some kind of deal and keep it out of the courts."

"So you're not going after this kid or his father? You promise?" Ana asks him, almost pleadingly.

"I don't need to go after them" he says calmly, a little too calmly. "Our son already took care of that. Besides, I happen to know that that bar is currently overstaffed. If he doesn't comply with my terms, then I'll just have to fire some of his staff, making his job very difficult for a while"

"And what would your terms be?"

"I don't want our son to have a record" he says, nervous at the thought of his son having this incident hold him back from things he could do with his life. "I don't want the press to have a field day with this either. I want the punishment that we gave him to be enough."

Ana rubs his back. "Have I ever told you what an amazing father you are?"

Christian doesn't agree with his wife on that point. Even after having it all, he is still unsure he deserves to have it all. She catches him brooding. "Hey" she says as she puts both of her hands on his face, making him look at her. "You are." She kisses him, and after a few seconds he kisses her back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana is in Phoebe's room painting her finger nails and toe nails. Even though her fever broke in the middle of the night, her parents have decided to keep her home for another day. Ana is enjoying the day at home with Phoebe, something she doesn't get to do very often. They have a lot of time before Natalie wakes up for another bottle.

"How's that?" she asks her daughter after she finishes.

"Very pretty" Phoebe says with a smile as she observes her painted fingers and toes.

They are interrupted when they hear a ping from Ana's blackberry. She pulls it out and sees an email from Christian.

==========================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:15pm PST  
Subject: My Girls

Dear Ana,

How are my girls doing at home while I'm slaving away at work? I miss you, and I am counting the hours before my work day is done so that I can come home to you. I hope you aren't having too much fun without me. Please let me know what you are doing.

Love Always,

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
==========================================

Ana smiles and quickly responds.

===========================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:18pm PST  
Subject: Your Girls

Dear Christian,

I am painting our daughter's nails. As much as I know you would love to be here I think this is a little too girly for you. You are better off slaving away at work. We are having fun, but don't worry, you and I can have our own fun later.

Love Always,

Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
===========================================

Ana puts her blackberry away and pulls out the clear nail polish. She starts running it over Phoebe's toe nails when her blackberry pings again. She laughs and finishes polishing her nails before she pulls out her blackberry again.

===========================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:22pm PST  
Subject: Girly Stuff

I enjoy anything that has to do with my girls, even if it is make up and nail polish. Tell me what color you are using.

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
===========================================

Ana smiles and quickly responds. Phoebe gives her a look. "What are you doing?"

"I am teasing your father."

===========================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:25pm PST  
Subject: Color

I am using bright red nail polish. I think it will go well with her new five inch heel strappy sandals.

Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
===========================================

Ana giggles and waits for a response. She doesn't need to wait long. Her blackberry pings within seconds.

===========================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:26pm PST  
Subject: NO!

Get the nail polish remover. NOW. My daughter is not to leave the house with red nail polish or five inch heels.

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
===========================================

Ana smirks. She just loves getting her Fifty all worked up. Phoebe gives her a confused look. _What are they talking about? Do I even want to know?_

===========================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:28pm PST  
Subject: Shouty Capitals

Keep your hair on Grey. I was just kidding. Although I wish I was there right now to see your face.

Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
===========================================

===========================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:29pm PST  
Subject: RE: Shouty Capitals

My palm is twitching. WHAT COLOR?

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
==========================================

==========================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:30pm PST  
Subject: RE: Shouty Capitals

Stow your twitchy palm for later. I used a light gray. She likes that color. You'll get to see it when you come home and let us know if you approve. Now get back to work Mr CEO.

Love Always,

Anastasia Grey  
CEO, SIP  
==========================================

===========================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Tuesday 12:32pm PST  
Subject: Twitchy Palm Stowed, For Now

You just love to push my buttons. This isn't over Mrs Grey.

Laters Baby

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
==========================================

Ana looks at her blackberry with love, and Phoebe tries to get her attention.

"Mom"

"I'm sorry baby. Do you like the polish?"

"Yes. What was that about?"

Ana smiles again. "Your father and I like to email during the day."

"It's really cool how you two are still in love. Most of the kids in my school have parents that are divorced." She says before she has a chance to stop herself.

"Yeah, well, I guess your father and I are very lucky"

"How did you know that he was the one?"

Ana smiles at the memories of her first encounters with her Fifty. "I didn't at first. I was intimidated by him, and appalled because he was rich and powerful. I've never spent time with anyone like that before your father. I had interviewed him for Aunt Kate's paper, and after that he found ways to spend time with me."

"So he pursued you? That's so romantic"

"I didn't think so at the time. I didn't like how he knew so much about me without me offering the information"

"He did a background check on you?" Phoebe asks, starting to feel appalled herself.

"Yes he did. He knew where I worked, he knew where I lived, so he immersed himself into my life, whether I liked it or not."

"But you liked it" Phoebe says with a smile.

"Yes, I did. I got used to spending time with him every day. So, when I went away to Georgia to see my mother, I knew right then how much I couldn't stand to be away from him, that I loved him."

Phoebe smiles again. "I hope I am lucky enough to meet someone like that."

Ana brings her hand up to Phoebe's hair and runs her fingers through it. "You will, but your father and I don't want you to be in a hurry for that"

Phoebe looks down as she thinks of her conversation with her father this morning. "Dad said he used to get up with me and Teddy in the middle of the night"

"He did. He looked forward to that." Ana confirms.

"I don't remember a lot from when I was little." Phoebe continues to look down at her toes, and Ana tries to figure out where her daughter is going with this. She continues to play with her daughter's hair. "The other day, after Dad punished me, I remembered a time when I was little, when I tried to reach for your tea. I remembered wanting to be like you, so I wanted to drink tea like you."

Ana sighs. "Yeah, I remember that day. Your father was so freaked out. He's the one that stopped you before you could grab it."

"I know that he spanked me then, but I don't remember him actually doing it." Phoebe says. Ana recalls that she too took a punishment spanking for leaving the tea so close to the edge of the counter, but Phoebe doesn't need to know about that.

"Do you remember what happened after that?" Ana asks.

"No"

"You cried for about an hour. I took you to your room and tried to calm you down, but nothing worked. I tried singing to you, reading to you, brushing your hair, but you just kept screaming. Your father came in, and without saying a word he just picked you up and held you in his arms. And you stopped crying, just like that."

"Really? I don't remember that."

"I do" Ana says and grins, but it is a sad grin. "Your father has always had this way with you. All he had to do was pick you up and hold you, and you would calm down instantly."

Phoebe looks down again, almost feeling guilty.

"We never told you this, but you were a colicky baby. You cried all the time. Your father spent a lot of time holding you, bouncing you, rocking you. He was so patient. Sometimes you would go right to sleep when he held you." Ana smiles momentarily but then looks down. "I envied your father for that for a while. But then I got to see how beautiful it was that he had that connection with you."

Phoebe feels even more guilty and almost cries. "Mom, I really am sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to make you and Dad mad. I just wanted to spend some time with Jay. And I knew you wouldn't approve."

"No, we wouldn't have. If you want to spend time with someone we don't know, you just need to have them come by the house first so that we can meet them."

Phoebe frowns. She'll never have a boyfriend at this rate.

Ana cups her daughter's chin and has her look at her. "I know it's not the ideal way to meet and spend time with friends, but with your father in the spotlight and subjected to press on a daily basis we need to be careful. You're lucky he was able to keep the incident with Jay out of the press.

Phoebe continues to pout. "I know."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian arrives home later and is greeted by his girls. Phoebe gives him a hug, which catches him off guard. He smiles and returns the hug. She pulls away and he looks down at her. "Let's see the nails" he says to her. She holds out her hand and he is relieved to see that her nails are light gray. "Do you like this color?" Phoebe nods and he lets go over hand. Ana walks over and gives her husband a welcome home hug. "Good evening Mrs Grey. To what do I owe all this show of affection?"

"We missed you" she says as she plays with his tie.

"I bet you did." The kids are now out of earshot, but he whispers anyway. "Don't forget, my twitchy palm was only temporarily stowed."

Ana giggles and looks over to see that their kids are sitting at the table ready for dinner.

"Let's eat" Christian says with a smile.


	12. Big Press

Christian saunters into the bedroom after putting Natalie down in her crib. He's in a good mood until he notices that something is not right with his wife. She is sitting on the edge of the bed and she appears to be shaking.

"Ana Baby, are you okay?" he asks her as he kneels in front of her. She looks down at his face and shakes her head. He reaches up and gently touches her cheek, and immediately moves his hand to her forehead. "You're very warm. Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" He gets his answer when she unceremoniously pushes him out of the way and darts into their bathroom. He gets to his feet and follows her in, finding her with her head in the toilet vomiting. He crouches behind her to hold her hair and comforts her until she stops.

"Let's get you cleaned up and back to bed" he says to her. She doesn't argue. She cleans her face and allows him to help her back into their bedroom and over to their bed. She can't stop shaking. Once she is sitting he walks into the closet and brings out something heavier for her to wear to bed. He helps her change into the long sleeve pajama shirt and pants.

"Thank you" she says as she continues to shake. He helps her lie down and pulls the covers over her, up to her chin so that everything but her head is covered.

"I need to go downstairs and get some things for you. I'll be right back." She nods, and he quickly moves through the house to gather things for his wife, including medicine, water, and a bucket so she can stay in bed. He also grabs the thermometer before he rushes back into their bedroom. He is satisfied that his wife hasn't moved. He walks over to the bed and sits by her, taking her temperature and reassuring her that he will stay by her side and take care of her while she is sick. Although it is not necessary, because she knows he will stay by her side and take care of her. But that may not be the best idea.

"Christian, you need to keep your distance, what if you get sick too? Who will take care of the baby?" she asks weakly.

"Don't worry, I took care of Phoebe and I didn't get sick. And I will do the same for you." She opens her mouth to argue, but he puts his index finger over her mouth and shushes her. "Shhh, no arguments. Just obedience" he smiles down at her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian walks into the kitchen the next morning and opens the refrigerator for his orange juice. He finds that the bottle is almost empty and makes a face. He is about to say something but Gail interrupts him. "Here you go Mr Grey, you'll need to let it get cold for a while." She is back from her early morning grocery shopping and has a bottle of orange juice in her hand. Christian takes it from her.

"Thank you Mrs Taylor."

"You're welcome. I also picked some things up for Mrs Grey, she'll need them while she recuperates."

The kids are sitting at the bar eating cereal since Mrs Taylor wasn't there to prepare breakfast. They overhear Gail say that their mother is sick. "What's wrong with Mom?" Phoebe asks.

Christian looks over at his kids. "Your mother just has a stomach bug, she should be fine in a few days."

"She must have gotten it from me" Phoebe frowns.

Christian walks over to the bar to be closer to his kids. Of course she got it from Phoebe, but he doesn't want her to feel bad about it. "Peanut, you didn't mean to get your mother sick. It happens. I don't want you blaming yourself for this okay?"

Phoebe doesn't look at her father, and she has stopped eating her cereal, which makes him start to get angry. "Phoebe" he snaps. She jumps and looks up at him. He shakes his head slowly to make a point. "You are not to blame yourself for this, understood?"

"Yes" she says softly. When he is satisfied he walks back over to the counter and pours what is left of the cold orange juice into a glass and drinks it. He also starts to get a bottle ready for Natalie. Phoebe slips away from the breakfast bar and goes to check on her mother.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few minutes later Christian walks into the master bedroom, furious to find Phoebe sitting on the bed with Ana. Ana is still lying down and Phoebe is sitting up and talking to her. Phoebe jumps for the second time today when she hears her father snap at her. "Phoebe, what do you think you are doing?"

"I came in here to check on Mom" she says softly. She looks up at him and sees that he is furious. She and Teddy are never allowed in the master bedroom, ever. In fact, she hasn't been in their bedroom since she was in diapers. Even when the kids had nightmares, one of their parents would sit with them in their own bed until they fell asleep.

Phoebe cowers when he walks closer to the bed. "You shouldn't be in here. Go get ready for school" he growls. She slowly looks back at her mother.

"Do as your told Honey" Ana says weakly. Phoebe stands, walks past her father and out of the room. Ana shakes her head at her husband. "Did you have to snap at her like that?"

"She shouldn't be in here. She knows that. Fuck, what if she found something in here? Are you prepared to have a conversation with her about floggers and riding crops? I thought we agreed to keep that junk away from our kids" he says to her almost pleadingly, as though he's trying to get her back on his side of things.

"Of course I don't want our kids to know about any of that" she says as she leans up on her elbows. "But was it really necessary to handle things so harshly?"

"She needs to follow the rules, no questions asked. And until recently, she's done very well with that." Christian sits on the bed and runs his hand through his hair.

Ana grows concerned when she realizes what her husband must be thinking. "You're not going to punish her for coming in here. Christian, she just wanted to check on me. She feels bad because I caught this from her."

Christian softens and takes a few breaths. "Yeah, I know that. I told her not to blame herself."

"Our daughter is a sweet, sensitive, emotional teenager. I know you are not going to apologize for reprimanding her just now, but can you at least go and say something positive to her before she leaves for school? Otherwise she's going to spend the entire day brooding about this."

Christian looks at his wife and knows that she is right. Their daughter has a habit of brooding, just like him. "Okay Mrs Grey. I'll go see our kids off to school. Then I'm going to feed our other child, and then I will be back" he goes to kiss her but she stops him.

"Uh uh, loving but contagious wife. No kissing."

Christian frowns but he doesn't argue. He leaves the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The kids grab their bags and start to leave as Christian walks down the stairs. He stops them. "Phoebe!" She turns around but doesn't make eye contact with him. "I meant what I said, okay? I don't want you to blame yourself for your mother being sick." He brings his hand up to her chin and cups it, raising her head to look at him. "Okay?"

She nods and blinks her eyes before he releases her chin, and she looks down again. "Don't forget, I want you to practice piano when you come home today. I'll be upstairs with your mother so I won't hear the piece you are practicing for the recital." Phoebe nods again. She and Teddy have been secretive about the pieces they have chosen for the showcase. They want to surprise their parents. He grabs her shoulder and kisses her hair before she has a chance to leave. "Teddy!" he calls after his son. Teddy turns to look at him. "Remember, Sawyer is to bring you both right home after school."

"Yes Sir" he says obediently. Christian watches as both of his kids leave the house for school.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is greeted by her cousin Ava at the lockers. Ava is just like her mother Kate, very outgoing and energetic. She doesn't care what anyone thinks, and she doesn't take any shit from anyone. "Hey, so what happened with Teddy? I heard they took him out in handcuffs. Did he have to spend the night in the slammer?"

"Ava!" Phoebe scolds. "Of course he didn't spend the night in jail. He's just a kid"

"I know, a lot of kids are talking about it though, making up their own minds about what happened."

Phoebe hugs her books and avoids eye contact with her cousin. "Ava, can we talk about something else?" she asks in a whiny voice.

"Sure, how 'bout we talk more about your night with Jay? You know a lot of people are talking about that too."

Phoebe looks both worried and disgusted. "What are they saying?"

"That you had sex"

"What?" Phoebe blurts out and people start staring at her. She covers her mouth as Ava grabs her arm and prompts her to start walking.

"So tell me the truth. Did you or didn't you?" Ava tries to press her cousin and best friend.

"Ava! Cut it out. You know the truth. I didn't do it. I don't know why he's telling people that we did." Phoebe starts to get upset, and then they see him. She freezes as Jay walks over to them. He has a black eye, but that doesn't stop him from smiling at her. She doesn't say a word. He reaches out and runs his knuckles along her cheek. Neither Phoebe nor Ava makes a move to stop him.

"It was good for me too Baby" he says to her softly. Phoebe starts to feel sick. She still doesn't say anything. He starts to walk away, but something Ava says stops him in his tracks.

"Hey Jay, does that mean you plan to step up and take responsibility for what's yours?" She says it loud enough for other students to hear, and they start watching and listening. Jay starts to walk slowly toward the girls.

"What are you talking about?"

Ava shrugs her shoulders, but it is with confidence. Phoebe continues to hug her books as she notices that all eyes are on them right now. "You know, the baby Phoebe is carrying. Oh come on, you know it's yours. What do you plan to do about it, Daddy?"

Jay looks disgusted. He shakes his head. "No"

Ava blinks and gives a confident nod. Jay is still in denial. "You said it was good. It only takes one time you know. And according to you, it was one hell of a time"

Phoebe doesn't move. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't stop her cousin from taunting Jay. She is frozen in her spot. She starts to feel dizzy. She puts her hand on the wall to keep herself from falling, and the other students notice. They start to say things about pregnancy symptoms and morning sickness. When the bell rings all of the students scatter to their next class, including Jay. Phoebe and Ava remain in the hall.

"That will give him something to think about" Ava says with a smile as she turns to her cousin.

"What did you just do?"

"Don't worry. By tomorrow he will be telling people that it was all a lie." Ava is so sure that her plan will work. She takes her cousin's arm and they walk to their next class together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After school, Christian finds Teddy in the kitchen eating a healthy snack. He puts Natalie in the bouncy seat while he prepares an afternoon bottle for her. He realizes that he and his son haven't had a pleasant exchange for some time, and he scrambles to think of a way to change that. When Teddy stands from the bar and starts to leave, he knows he's out of time and must act immediately. "Son!" he calls out to him. Teddy turns to find out what his father wants. Christian pauses for a moment. He looks at the bottle in his hand and an idea comes to him. "Would you like to feed her?"

Teddy looks at Natalie and back at his father. "You want _me_ to feed her?" He is a little shocked at his father's request, since he's insisted that Teddy is too young to do anything other than hold his sister, and only for a short amount of time.

"Would you like to?"

Teddy half smiles, not believing what his father is going to allow him to do. "Yeah, sure"

"Good." Christian smiles back at him. He unbuckles the straps of the bouncy seat and lifts his daughter. "Let's go" he says and leads his son into the main room. "Sit." Teddy does as he's told and gets comfortable in the seat next to the arm of the couch so that he has something there to support his arm. Christian gently puts Natalie in Teddy's arms and shows him how to feed the bottle to her. "Like this, you need to make sure she doesn't get any air bubbles." Teddy smiles when his father lets go of the bottle and allows him to feed his baby sister. He can't help but let out a soft laugh.

He glances over at his father and sees that he too is smiling. "Thanks for letting me feed her."

"Pay attention, make sure she doesn't get any air bubbles" he says, proving that his controlling nature is never too far away.

When Natalie starts to spit some of the milk out, Christian takes the bottle away and shows his son how to burp her. Teddy still cannot believe that his father trusts him to do this, given his overprotectiveness. He treats Natalie like she's glass sometimes, something that can break so easily if you do the wrong thing.

Christian has Natalie in a sitting position on Teddy's lap and shows him how to hold her and burp her properly. When she lets out a loud burp, both father and son can't help but laugh. "Guess she takes after you" Teddy jokes.

"Careful" Christian says, but his voice is more playful than harsh. He helps Teddy lay her back down in his arms so that he can continue to feed her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Christian is home with his wife again. She has started to feel better, but Christian is not taking any chances. He enjoys taking care of his wife, even if she isn't all that sick anymore. They have spent the entire two days in their bedroom. Once in a while Christian has had to leave to either get food for the two of them or to take care of the baby. He has checked his email a few times for work, but he refuses to bring Ana's laptop into the room for her to work. He has insisted that she rest until she is fully recovered.

"I have an idea" Christian says to her.

"Do tell"

"I am going to go fill the bathtub" he says to her seductively. "Then I'm going to come back in here and peel off all of your clothing, nice and slow. And then, I am going to wash and dry every inch of your body." Ana smiles at him as he gently rubs his hand up and down her arm. "What do you say, Mrs Grey? Are you up for it?"

"I think I can manage" she says coyly.

He kisses her forehead. "Be right back"

After the bath, he carries his wife back into their bedroom and sits her down on the bed. She is very relaxed after being pampered by her husband. She is wrapped in a big towel, which he removes so that he can dry her skin and help her get dressed in one of her satin night gowns. He puts it over her head and she puts her arms through the straps. "Thank you Mr Grey"

"For what?" he asks as he sits down on the bed. He starts to kiss her neck.

"For…. taking such delicate care of me while I was ill. The meds, the massages, the bath…."

"I enjoy bathing you" he says to her as he continues to kiss and lightly suck at her neck.

"I know you do. And I enjoy everything you do for me and our kids. We're very lucky"

"I'm the one that's lucky"

They are interrupted when Taylor knocks on the door.

"Sir"

Christian covers his wife with the blanket and rushes toward the door. He swings it open to find his right hand man. He is very annoyed, but he knows Taylor well enough to know that he would only interrupt him if it was truly an emergency. "What is it Taylor"

"Something you should see." Taylor shows Christian a paper, and his demeanor quickly changes to raging mad.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Phoebe walk into the kitchen after school where their father is waiting. They didn't expect to see him in there. They see the look on his face and they both start to feel nervous.

"Teddy, go on up to your room and start your homework. You can have a snack later" Christian demands. Teddy does as he's told and leaves the kitchen. Phoebe can't help but sense that she is the one in trouble this time. She quickly does a mental check of the past couple of days. Other than the incident on Friday, she can't think of anything that she's done wrong. She hasn't ditched security, she hasn't gotten any bad grades, she hasn't skipped any classes. _What did I do?_

They are standing at the bar and Christian puts a glass of water in front of her. "Drink!" he demands. She looks at the glass confused, but decides there is no room for argument when he is like this. She starts to slowly drink it, since she is not all that thirsty. "All of it!" he demands again. When she finishes, he turns to the refrigerator and fills the glass with water again. He puts the glass in front of her again. "Drink!"

"Dad, why are you doing this?" Phoebe asks as her voice starts to tremble.

"Don't ask, just drink!" his voice is so harsh. She obeys and drinks the entire glass of water. When she finishes she places the glass on the bar.

"Can you please tell me what this is about?"

Christian doesn't say a word. After what seems like several minutes of silence, he pulls out a box and shows it to her. Her eyes grow wide. She's never seen one up close before but she knows what it is. _A pregnancy test_. "Go into the bathroom and take this. Then come back and show it to me."

"Daddy" she says as she shakes her head.

"Do As You're Told Phoebe!" he raises his voice this time, and she is almost paralyzed. Her eyes are wide. She's afraid to move, and at the same time she is afraid to disobey her father. She nervously takes the box from him, turns and walks toward the bathroom. "If you are not back in ten minutes I will come in and sit with you while you take it."

That threat makes her even more nervous. _No wonder he made me drink all that water. Why is he doing this? I told him I didn't have sex. This is so humiliating._

Phoebe walks out of the bathroom, just in time for the ten minutes that her father gave her. He hasn't moved from his spot in the kitchen. He is still standing next to the bar, waiting for her. _He is so scary sometimes_. She walks up to him and gives him the test. He glares at her as he opens it to check the results. He feels slightly relived when he sees that the test is negative. His teenage daughter is not pregnant.

"Daddy, why did you make me do that?" she asks. She is practically in tears. Christian puts the test down and pulls out today's tabloid. He shows it to her and her eyes grow wide again. She reads the cover page, GREY PRINCESS, FIFTEEN AND PREGNANT. "What? No!"

"Phoebe, why does the Seattle Rant think my teenage daughter is pregnant?" he asks her harshly as he clenches the fist that's holding the article. He is so angry. Phoebe shakes her head, she is in shock. She tries to process the information as her father grills her. "Answer me!" he yells, and it doesn't help her cause. She continues to shake her head as she thinks about the mess she is in. The article. The pregnancy test. The rumors. Jay. Ava. _Oh no, Ava_.

Christian grows impatient and decides that enough is enough. "Come" he says as he grabs her elbow. And she has an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. His anger. His cold demeanor. His hand strongly gripping her elbow. Him leading her up the stairs. She knows exactly what is going to happen. She knows what he is going to do. But this time is different. She knows what to expect, she knows that this latest press release was really bad for her family. _I deserve this. I deserve punishment. What I did was really bad. Maybe I'm bad._


	13. Big Darkness

Phoebe lies in her bed on her side. She lets the tears trickle down her face and she doesn't wipe them away. She just allows them to fall freely and drench her pillow as she mentally runs through the events of the past hour. She had to pee on a stick, a pregnancy test. She had to see herself featured on the cover of a tabloid. She had to endure another embarrassing punishment for the second time this week. _My bottom hurts_. But she doesn't blame her father. She feels that she deserved each and every one of the twenty five painful slaps to her bare bottom. She counted this time. He stopped in the middle to ask her again about the article, but once again she was inaudible.

The situation with Jay has gotten completely out of control, and now it has caught media attention. _"This is why there are rules, this is why I like control, to make sure shit like this doesn't happen."_ She recalls him saying that to her. More tears start to trickle down her face. She cannot believe how much trouble she has caused, all because she wanted to be kissed. _Grey Princess? I don't deserve that title. I am no good. All I do is make trouble, _she thinks to herself. The self-loathing continues.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is standing in the kitchen with his blackberry to his ear when Ana appears in her robe. "No comment!" he says into his phone and then hangs up.

Ana stands in front of her husband at the bar. He is so angry, but that doesn't deter her attempts to get some information out of him. "What was that about?"

"You should be in bed" he says to her, trying to dismiss her attempts. But she doesn't cave.

"Christian, you know very well that I am not sick anymore. Now tell me what is going on" she demands.

They are interrupted by the ring of his blackberry. He answers it and listens for only two seconds. "No comment!" he says again and hangs up. He slams the phone down onto the counter and shakes his head. He runs his hand through his hair, gripping it and nearly ripping some of it out of his head.

"What's happened?" Ana asks, this time with worry in her voice. Christian hesitates for a moment, but then he pulls out the tabloid and shows it to her. "Oh no." She gasps and looks at the cover. She covers her mouth.

"She's not pregnant. I made sure of it" he says to her harshly.

"What do you mean you made sure of it?" she asks him, knowing that she is not going to like the answer. He shows her the pregnancy test and she is completely appalled. "You made her take this?" Christian doesn't say a word, but he nods. "You made our fifteen year old daughter take a pregnancy test? My god, Christian, what were you thinking?"

"What was I thinking?" He's almost shouting. "Ana, the media thinks our daughter is pregnant. I wasn't taking any chances."

"She told us what happened on Friday. She told us she didn't have sex. How could you make her do this?" Ana is almost in tears she is so upset about her husband's latest actions.

The blackberry rings again, but Christian doesn't answer it. "I know, and I believed her, but I didn't want to take the chance that she was lying to us." Ana turns and walks toward the foyer. "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going?" she says in a huff. "I'm going to go talk to our daughter." She storms out of the room and Christian watches her. His blackberry rings and he answers it, and before even listening he shouts "No comment!" again and hangs up.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana sits on the bed with Phoebe, but Phoebe doesn't move right away, not until Ana gently touches her arm. Phoebe flinches and moves away from her mother's touch. Ana brings her arm back and puts both of her hands in her lap. "Phoebe, we need to talk about this."

"I can't" Phoebe says as her voice trembles. Ana makes another attempt to rub Phoebe's arm, but this time Phoebe sits up in order to avoid her mother's touch. She winces since her bottom is sore, and Ana notices. "No! Please don't. Please don't, don't touch me" she says. Ana can see the tears trickling down her daughter's face and has to fight the urge to cry along with her. Phoebe brings her knees in and hugs them to her chest.

"What can I do?" Ana asks her, since she really doesn't know how to help her daughter when she is this upset. Normally she would hold her in her arms when she needed help calming down, but Phoebe won't allow her to touch her.

"Just go away, please" she says with her head buried in her knees. Ana doesn't want to leave her daughter like this, but she decides that staying against her wishes would be a losing battle. She quietly stands and leaves the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana walks back into the kitchen and joins her husband, who is still battling with the incoming calls asking for a comment on the Seattle Rant article. She is angry with him, but she is more upset than anything after seeing her daughter in her current emotional state. "I think we have a problem" she says to her husband softly.

"What was your first clue" he says to her as he holds up his blackberry, which is currently ringing. He answers it to yell "No Comment" into the phone again.

"Our daughter" she starts, and has to fight the urge to cry. "Christian she is a mess"

Christian doesn't say anything. He looks at his wife with sad eyes to match hers and waits for her to continue.

"She wouldn't let me touch her." Ana hugs herself and continues to battle her own emotions and avoid crying. "I know that you spanked her again, and now she won't let me touch her." Ana momentarily loses the battle when tears start to fall, but she quickly works to gain composure so she can continue. "I know it's not a coincidence. I saw something in her that I once saw in you…. fear…. fear of being touched." Ana shakes her head at the thought. "Christian we need to do something before she completely shuts down on us."

Christian puts his blackberry on the counter and walks over to his wife. He stands in front of her but he doesn't touch her. The words definitely strike a dark chord for him. He feared being touch for most of his life, until Ana came into his life and slowly helped him fight that demon. Now his daughter is showing signs of having that same fear. But Christian's fear stemmed from early childhood beatings and cigarette burnings. Could he have done this to her? Could his insistence of corporally punishing his daughter lead her into a dark existence? He shakes his head and gently puts his hands on his wife's arms. "I don't want our daughter to be fifty shakes of fucked up" he says to her softly, almost like a sob, and he has tears in his eyes. "What do we do?"

Ana takes a breath and continues to fight the urge to just burst into tears. "Your parents are leaving for Florida on Saturday. They wanted us to come remember?"

Christian nods and waits to see where his wife is going with this.

"I think we should let them take Phoebe. Let her get away for a while, away from this mess and all this media attention."

Christian uncharacteristically doesn't immediately shut his wife down at her request. He takes a moment to take in what she is suggesting, and then shakes his head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea for her to be away from us right now."

"I trust your parents to look after her."

"I do too but that's not what I meant" he interrupts her. "From what you said she's in a very fragile state right now, I don't think sending her off with my parents with unfamiliar surroundings for a week will help her situation."

"I disagree" Ana says boldly, earning her a disapproving glare from Christian. But she continues anyway. "I think that's exactly what she needs. She needs to get away and clear her head for a while, away from her friends, her school and us." Ana is pained to have to say the last word.

"You mean she needs some time away from me, is what you're saying" he says to her slowly, matching her painful tone.

Ana nods and she has tears in her eyes. "That's probably best. We need some time to figure out how to help her. Did you reschedule our appointment with Doctor Flynn?" Ana brings her hand up and wipes her tears away.

"Saturday at ten" he confirms. "She should be coming with us Ana, so we can talk this out."

"Christian, she's not ready to talk this out." Ana is pleading with him now to side with her on this. "She needs some time to think and breathe, please let her go to Florida with her grandparents."

Christian is still as he throws this idea around in his head. The blackberry rings again and he doesn't answer it. He just stares at his wife as she continues to stare into his eyes, pleading with him to say yes. "Okay"

Ana lets out a sigh of relief. She strongly believes this will be good for their daughter. And her husband is saying yes.

"I'll call my parents and make the arrangements."

* * *

_**I know most of you were hoping that he wouldn't spank Phoebe again. I hope you are not too disappointed. I needed to go that direction in order for the next chapters to make sense. This story wouldn't work if they were happy all the time, there has to be conflict. I hope you stick with me to see what happens next. Happy Reading!**_


	14. Big Cry

Christian leads Ana up the stairs to the second floor, holding her hand. They have had a chance to calm down after discussing their daughter. Christian has called his parents and made arrangements to take Phoebe with them to Florida. Although Christian is not thrilled with the idea of her being away from them for that long, he is fighting the urge to change his mind and call the whole thing off. He will go along with this if it means it will help his daughter.

Christian lightly knocks on his daughter's door and opens it before waiting for her to answer. He allows Ana to enter first and he follows. Phoebe is sitting on her bed, still hugging her knees and staring down. She doesn't acknowledge her parents. She doesn't look up at them and she doesn't say a word. Ana sits in a chair by the dresser while Christian stands, deciding his first move. He looks down at his daughter, his expression unreadable. The last time he saw her was after he punished her and left her to cry it out. He had no idea that she would react this way. Had he known, he would have never left her side. Had he known, he would have never punished her that way. Ana watches him to see what he will do. After a few beats he walks over to the bed and sits on the other side of his daughter. He waits for her to acknowledge him, but it doesn't happen.

"Phoebe" he says to her softly. He slowly reaches a hand out to her, but she shrugs away from him.

"No"

Christian pulls his hand back and waits for few seconds before he tries again. This time he slowly moves so that he is siting closer to her and reaches out, almost trying to pull her into a hug, but she pulls away from him again, this time with fear and anxiety clear in her voice. "No, no no, don't" she cries, and Christian pulls away again. He looks at her with shock. She hugs her knees tighter and tears are pooling out of her eyes. He heard his wife when she said their daughter was in bad shape, but to see her like this makes it all the more real. His heart is breaking, and he doesn't know how to help her. He is not in control of the situation, and that is also killing him. He stands and walks over to his wife, who is still sitting in a chair. They wait a few minutes for Phoebe to calm down.

"Phoebe, we'd like to talk to you about something" Ana finally says. Phoebe continues to stare down at the bed, but Ana continues. "Your grandparents are leaving for Florida on Saturday. They've invited us to come, but it's not a good time for us to be taking a trip. But we'd really like for you to go with them."

Christian looks down at his wife and nods. "We've talked to them, and they've agreed to take you with them."

"You're sending me away?" Phoebe asks softly. She is still staring down at the bed and tears are rolling down her face.

"No, Baby we are not sending you away" Christian corrects her, but Phoebe is not convinced. "We think this will be a good opportunity for you to get away from all of this, everything that is making you unhappy."

Phoebe doesn't look up at them. She continues to stare down at her bed and she's even started to rock a little bit.

"Your Aunt Mia, Uncle Ethan and the kids will be there too" Ana adds. "You'll get to spend some time with them."

"You love the beach, you love the warm weather. You might even have a good time there." Christian says softly, trying to force a smile for his daughter's sake.

"You're sending me away" Phoebe says softly. This time it is a statement, it isn't a question. Her mood is sullen and sad. _My parents don't want me here. Maybe I should go, get away, from them_. "That's fine"

"Phoebe, Honey, we are not sending you away as punishment. We think this will be good for you." Ana says, she is practically in tears. Christian has been frozen in his spot, but he moves to get his wife to stand. Ana takes his queue and rises from the chair. Christian starts to usher her out of the room.

"Mrs Taylor will be going to the store tomorrow. You can make a list of anything you need and she'll get it for you" Christian says to his daughter, but she doesn't acknowledge him. He walks around the bed and kneels down so that he can see her face, hoping she will look at him, but she doesn't. "Peanut, please look at me" he pleads. But she doesn't move. "Phoebe" he calls for her again, but it's no use. She is too upset to look at him. He sighs and looks down. He kneels still for a moment and then looks up at her again. "I will do anything it takes to put a smile on your face again" he says to her softly. He stands and slowly walks out of the room. Ana turns and follows him. When they close the door Ana breaks down into tears. Christian wraps his arms around her and holds her tight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are sitting in Flynn's office. It is Saturday morning, and they have just said good bye to their daughter. She will be gone for a whole week, which is a week too long for Christian's comfort. He does not like to have his daughter away for that long. He is completely rattled as he sits on the couch next to his wife.

Ana is lost in her own thoughts of their daughter, their cold and silent exchanges as she was getting ready for the trip, and the even chillier good bye scene. Phoebe would not make eye contact with her parents. She wouldn't even let them hug her. She didn't want to be touched by them. The thought brings Ana to tears, and Flynn coaxes her to talk about it.

"Why the tears, Ana?"

Ana works hard to compose herself. Christian manages to snap out of his own brooding to reach over and give his wife a comforting hand. She happily takes it. "When Phoebe left this morning, we were saying good bye to her, I went to hug her, and she pulled away." She continues to struggle to get the words out. "She wouldn't let me touch her. It's like she was afraid."

"I see" Flynn says. "When did this behavior start?"

Ana looks at Christian, willing him to answer.

"The other day John" he says.

"Tell me about the other day."

Ana looks at Christian again, and he lets go of her hand to run it through his hair. He doesn't take hold of her hand again. "Phoebe's had a tough week" he says.

"Tell me about it" John tries to coax him now.

"Well, you know that our daughter stayed out past curfew last week" he begins. "She was with a boy, a boy she wanted to kiss. But that fuckin punk had other ideas" he says through clenched teeth.

"Did he hurt Phoebe?"

Christian looks up at Flynn. "In a way, yes. Phoebe said she didn't have sex with him, but he's been saying things about her at school, and now there's this tabloid out there penning my daughter as pregnant."

"I see"

"Christian made her take a pregnancy test" Ana chimes in. She glares at Christian as she says it.

"It was either that or take her to see a doctor" Christian says with confidence. "I thought the test would have been quicker and a little less traumatic for a fifteen year old."

"Well you thought wrong" Ana shoots back.

"Did we come here to fight or help our daughter?" Christian asks with annoyance clear in his voice.

"If you want to help your daughter, you'll need a united front" Flynn says before Ana has a chance to answer.

"That's a little difficult, seeing that my husband still feels that spanking our daughter is the best method of punishment" Ana huffs. "Flynn, she started being closed off after Christian punished her again."

Christian looks at his wife and then quickly looks at Flynn.

"It's possible that your daughter sees spanking as more than punishment for just one infraction" Flynn says.

"What does that mean?" Christian asks nervously. "Did I cause this?" Christian puts his hand on his chest as though he's in pain. Ana sees this and softens. She reaches over and takes his hand again.

Flynn leans up on his elbows on his desk. "Think about what you went through as a child, Christian. You felt that you didn't deserve to be touched, that you didn't deserve to be loved, all because of the physical violence you had endured. You may not be violent with your daughter, but she may view spanking as an act of violence. And you did mention before that she felt violated. You may not have intended for that to happen, but removing her clothing to punish her can certainly cause her to feel that way. She may also feel that she's deserving of punishment. That, mixed with all of the stuff at school and negative press may be causing her to sink into this self-doubt, maybe even self-loathing."

Christian shakes his head and tears start to well in his eyes. "I never wanted any of that for her. I just wanted her to be safe and to follow the rules. I want her to be happy, how do I get her happy again?"

Ana also starts to tear up as she squeezes Christian's hand. "How do we help her?" she asks.

"She's in Florida now?" Flynn asks, and both Christian and Ana nod. "Good, that will give all of you an opportunity to breathe. Then when she comes home you should bring her in for a session."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Carrick and Grace move about their condo in Florida to get settled. Mia and Ethan are busy chasing their kids around and are also getting settled and unpacked. Phoebe is sitting on the couch in the living room in silence. Her legs are folded up on the couch next to her. Carrick and Grace know that she's been through a lot this week and have been careful with her, making sure to give her space and allow her to breathe. Carrick walks into the living room to join her.

"Would you like me to put the television on?" he asks her. Phoebe slowly shakes her head without making eye contact with him. He puts the remote control down on the coffee table and sits on the other couch. "That's okay. We didn't come here to watch television. There's a lot we can do while we're here. But if there's anything specific that you'd like to do you need to tell us, okay?" Once again, Phoebe doesn't respond verbally, but she nods.

Grace walks into the room and sits next to her husband. "Phoebe, how about you join us in the kitchen for lunch? Stella is preparing a chicken Caesar Salad."

Phoebe doesn't make eye contact with her grandmother, but she does remember her manners. "No thank you Grandma"

Grace and Carrick both feel at a loss. They both let out a sigh as they look at their granddaughter, all sad and closed off. "Phoebe, why don't you tell us what it is that you do want? Is there anything special you'd like to do today?" Grace tries again, but this only makes Phoebe tear up. Grace stands and walks over to the couch where Phoebe is sitting and she takes a seat next to her. She reaches her hand out to her shoulder, but Phoebe flinches. Phoebe brings a hand up and holds her forehead as she starts to cry. "Honey, what is it?"

"I'm sorry Grandma, I'm sorry, I'd just really like to go home." Phoebe hugs herself as she cries. Carrick and Grace don't make a move to console her since she doesn't want that. They sit with her while she cries.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is sitting in his study trying to do some work. He thought it would keep his mind off of the fact that his daughter is over three thousand miles away, but it is not working. She's never been that far away from both parents. She's always been with at least one of them over night, except a few times that she and Teddy spent some nights with their grandparents anytime Christian and Ana wanted an overnight date night. Even then, they made sure to pick their kids up bright and early since they didn't like being away from their parents. They would get upset, especially Phoebe. She would often cry when she spent the night at her grandparents. She had an anxiety about being away from her parents. But Grace insisted that they keep the overnight date nights. She insisted that their kids needed that tough love so that they could adjust to that temporary separation. _This is beyond temporary separation._

Christian picks up one of the framed photos he keeps in his office. It was taken when Teddy was ten and Phoebe was eight. The then family of four went to Disneyland for the weekend. They each had big smiles on their faces as the four of them posed with Mickey Mouse. Christian stares at the picture, mostly at Phoebe and her smile. _How do I get that smile back?_

He is interrupted when his blackberry rings. He answers it without looking at the caller ID. "Grey…. Hey Dad, Mom already called to let me know you arrived safely. Is everything okay?"

Ana walks into the study to join her husband. She stays quiet when she sees that he is on the phone. He is still holding the photo, and he has a serious expression on his face.

"Did she say anything?" he asks, and then slowly nods after his father answers him. "Okay Dad, keep me posted alright? Thank you." Christian pushes the off button on his blackberry and continues to stare at the photo. He is aware that Ana is there too but he doesn't look up at her right away.

"What did Carrick want?" Ana asks softly.

Christian hesitates before he answers his wife. He is fixated on the photo, a still from happier times. "He called to check in." He puts the framed photo back on the desk and continues to look down before he finishes his thought. "He said Phoebe isn't doing too well."

Ana walks around and sits on his desk in front of him. She is wearing a dress with the hem just above her knees. His mood is still down but he softly runs his hand up and down her leg as they sit in silence for a few minutes. "Did we do the right thing?" he asks her without making eye contact.

"I have no idea Grey" she answers him. She reaches her hand out and gently caresses his cheek. He leans his face into her hand as she rubs it with her thumb. "What are you thinking about?"

Christian finally looks into her eyes, and she looks into his, blue in gray, as their hands are still on each other, his on her leg and hers on his face. They just stare into each other's eyes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is lying on her stomach in her bedroom at her grandparents' condo in Florida. She has her arms under the pillow supporting her head. Tears are dripping into the pillow. Mia is sitting up on the bed next to her. She's gently rubbing her hands through her niece's long brown hair, which is somewhat comforting to her. Mia has been silent for the most part, but she's not known to be silent for long. She starts to talk about all of the fun things they can do while they are in Florida for the week. Phoebe isn't really paying attention. She is in her own little world, which is dark and sad at the moment. She doesn't want to be in Florida with her grandparents. She doesn't want to go to the beach or spa, she doesn't want to go shopping, or snorkeling, or sightseeing. She just wants to be home with her parents. She wants them to want her to be there. She just wants all the bad stuff to go away.

Phoebe's door opens but she doesn't look up to see who it is. Mia does and she gasps and smiles. She stands from the bed, walks over and gives the person a hug. Phoebe can't contain her curiosity. She looks up to see who it is, and her disposition changes. At first she doesn't believe it, like her mind is playing tricks on her. _He's not here, he can't be here, this is Florida_.

"Hey Peanut"

She is sold on the sound of his voice, the sound of his voice calling her a nickname he's used for her for as long as she can remember. She becomes even more emotional as she climbs off the bed and rushes into his arms. "Daddy?" Her voice is almost inaudible as she cries in his arms.


	15. Big Anxiety

Christian takes in the sight of his daughter lying on the bed, tears rolling down her face and onto her pillow. His eyes are fixed on her as he takes a hug from his sister. He returns the hug by putting one arm around her. His focus is on Phoebe and her current emotional state. He's here, so what happens now? Will she be happy to see him? Or will she be even more upset that he has made an appearance during her week away, while the whole point was for her to have distance from her everyday life and everyone in it. He gets his answer when she looks up at him. She climbs off the bed and rushes into his arms. More tears are pooling out of her eyes and are now soaking his shirt. But he doesn't mind. He wraps his arm firmly around her back and the other hand is in her hair. Mia leaves the room and shuts the door.

"Daddy" Phoebe can't believe he is here. He kisses the top of her head. She is crying and trying to talk at the same time. She has a lot to say and she wants to get it out, but Christian just wants her to calm down. "I'm sorry….. I'm so sorry I said that I hated you….. and, and that I wouldn't come home…. I'm sorry, I'm… I'm sorry."

Christian rubs his hand up and down her hair and tries to hush her, but she insists on continuing. "And…. the article…. and Jay…." Her voice becomes overshadowed by her sobbing and breathing spams so she stops talking and continues to cry hard into his chest. He continues to hold her and rock slowly side to side. This is killing him, to see her like this, so broken down, but he knows he has to let her cry. After a short while he leans down and scoops her up in his arms. He carries her over to the bed and sits down, putting her in his lap as she continues to cry. She puts her head in her hands and raises her knees up close to her chest, like she's trying to make herself small. He continues to hold her and provide as much comfort as possible by rocking her and rubbing her hair and her back.

Phoebe's mind starts to wander. _He's here, and he's holding me, and it feels good, comforting, safe, but do I want him to hold me? Yes, I do. But do I deserve to feel comforted and safe? No, I don't deserve it. I deserve punishment for all of the trouble I've caused, for having him come all the way out here for me, because I'm a mess, I'm no good. I need him to stop._

Phoebe tries to pull away from him, but he doesn't allow it. He pulls her back and holds her head against his chest right below his shoulder, and rests his chin against her forehead. "I'm not letting you go until you are calm" he says to her softly. He continues to rub her hair and kiss her forehead at her hairline.

When he is satisfied that his daughter has calmed, he lifts her off of his lap and sits her on the bed. "I'll be right back" he says to her. He returns a few moments later with a glass of water and a warm wash cloth. She takes the wash cloth from him first and presses it against her face, holding it there for a few seconds before she uses it to wipe her eyes. The softness and warmth feel good. When she is finished he holds the glass in front of her. "Here, drink this." She looks at the glass and has a flashback of the other day when he held a glass of water in front of her and demanded she drink it. It was so she could take a pregnancy test. Her body starts to tense again, and Christian can see that. "It's okay Phoebe, take it." She takes the glass from him and takes a few sips of the water before putting the glass on the bed table.

"I can't believe you're here" she says softly. Her voice is hoarse from her crying.

"When you were born, the doctor put you in my arms first. It was before they cleaned you off, so you were all slimy and bloody." Phoebe grimaces as he continues. "I made a promise to you." He pauses for a moment, and a fond smile starts to spread across his face. "I said that I would always be there for you, anytime you needed me. But it's difficult to be there for you all the way from Seattle."

"You flew all the way here." Phoebe shakes her head. She is beating herself up inside for him having to go through the trouble.

Christian nods. "Yes, I did. I brought Crandle and Sturges with me so they can fly us back. I put them up at a hotel."

"So, we're not going home tonight?" Phoebe looks down. It had just occurred to her that just because he is here, doesn't mean that he would be taking her home with him.

"No, not tonight. I thought we would spend the night here, and if you want to leave tomorrow, we will"

Phoebe nods and breathes a sigh of relief. But she almost doesn't believe him. Is he really here to take her home? _Is he really here at all, or am I just imagining this?_

"Your grandmother said she thinks you hurt your foot when you ran up here. Will you let me look at it?" he asks her gently. Normally he would insist on checking any injuries his kids may have without asking them first. He would then proceed to scold them for running in the house, or for whatever they did to cause injury to themselves, but he decides to let it slide. When she nods he points to her right foot. "This one?" She nods again. He removes her sock to see if she has any bruises.

"I stubbed my toe" she mumbles.

"Looks okay to me, does it hurt?" Phoebe shakes her head as he rubs her toes with his thumb. She seems distracted. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asks her as he stares at her, trying to read her.

Phoebe shrugs. She's not ready to talk to him, but she doesn't want him to leave.

"Are you hungry? Your grandmother told me you didn't eat lunch."

Phoebe looks up at her father to gauge his reaction, expecting to see anger. But instead she sees concern. She thinks it over for a moment, and suddenly she does feel hungry. She lightly nods her head.

"Good. I will go down and see if Miss Vance can whip something up for us. And we can eat up here if you'd like." Phoebe nods her head again. After the way she acted today, she's not ready to face the rest of her family. Christian leans over and kisses her forehead. "Go and take a shower, I'll bring the food up when it's ready.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian joins his parents in the living room after talking to Stella. He had asked her to prepare a meal for himself and his daughter. He sits down and sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"Where's Phoebe" his mother asks.

"She's taking a shower. We'll eat when she's finished." Christian is speaking in his business CEO tone to avoid showing emotion. He doesn't like to show his emotional side. He only does that with Ana.

"I told your father not to call you…"

"Grace.."

"Mom, it's okay" Christian cuts both of them off. "I'm glad you called, I needed to know. I needed to be here for her."

"Christian, you're not always going to be able to be there for her. Don't you think it's time to let her have a little space to see what it's like to be on her own without you and Ana?"

"No" he answers sharply. He doesn't see the need to put his daughter through that. "She doesn't like to be away from us, so I'm not going to make her do it."

"What about college?" Grace asks, almost pleading with him. "How is she going to go to college if she can't stand even a day to be away from you?"

Christian slowly runs his hand through is hair again. "She's fifteen, we still have some time to think about that. Teddy's going to WSU, maybe Phoebe will want to go there too." Christian tries to reason with his parents and his own feelings on the subject as he looks down at his hands. He doesn't want Phoebe's separation anxiety to interfere with her going to a college that she truly would like to go to. He pushes the thought out of his head so that he can focus on the matter at hand. "Right now Ana and I need to focus on helping her through high school and adolescence. Then in a few years we can discuss college with her."

Stella politely interrupts them. "I'm so sorry, but Mr Grey, your dinner is ready.

"Thank you Stella." Christian excuses himself and follows Stella into the kitchen to collect his dinner.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Stella walk into Phoebe's room with two trays of food. Both plates are covered to keep the food hot. They put both trays on the bed and Christian sends Stella on her way. He looks over at his daughter sitting in a chair in front of a vanity. She is wearing pale blue capri pajama pants with navy blue swirly lines and a tank top to match. She is in deep concentration, drying her hair. She didn't notice her father coming into the room. He walks over to her and makes his presence known.

"Here, let me" he says as he takes the hair dryer and brush from her. He begins drying her hair while running the brush through her long locks. She likes when people do her hair, but the good feeling is unwelcoming. She doesn't feel that she deserves to feel good about anything right now. Christian notices as she starts to frown. "Am I hurting you?" She shakes her head, and now he is even more confused. _Why is she so unhappy?_

When he is finished he leads her over to the bed where the food is set up on two trays. She sits in front of one of them and he sits next to her, putting the other tray in front of him. He lifts both metal pans from the plates and puts them aside. Stella has prepared grilled salmon and mixed vegetables.

"Eat up. I know you are used to Mrs Taylor's cooking, but Miss Vance is a fantastic cook herself." Christian starts to cut a few pieces of salmon for himself and starts to eat, while Phoebe slowly starts on her vegetables. Christian looks over and notices her reluctance. "Peanut, eat the salmon first, while it's hot." He waits for a few seconds, but when she doesn't make a move to cut her salmon he reaches over for her fork and does it for her. He cuts a few pieces and holds the fork up to her mouth with a piece. "Come on, open up" he says to her, but his voice is light. He doesn't want to yell at her right now. He just wants her to relax and eat a good meal. Rather than let him feed her she takes the fork and starts eating. Christian smiles and proceeds to eat his salmon.

After a few bites Phoebe starts to choke. Christian drops his fork and knife and grabs one of her wrists, raises it into the air and pats her back with his other hand. He does it until she spits out the piece of salmon she was choking on. "Are you alright?" he asks her as he still has her wrist in one hand, the other rubbing circles on her back. She has tears in her eyes as she nods. He grabs her bottled water, opens it and hands it to her. She looks at it and shakes her head. "Yes, come on take a few sips" he insists. This time his voice is not as light. She takes the water and drinks some of it.

Christian uses his knife again along with her fork to cut her salmon smaller. After he cuts a few pieces he puts the fork back in her had. "Here, I want you to eat the pieces that I cut. And if you want more I'll cut the rest for you." He goes back to eating his salmon, and is pleased to see that she is eating too, even if it is slowly. After taking a few more bites Phoebe starts to cry again. Christian moves their trays out of the way and pulls her into a hug. He has one arm wrapped around her while the other is in her hair again. "Phoebe, Baby I need you to tell me why you are so upset." He rubs his hand through her hair. She doesn't answer him. "Please tell me."

"I don't want you to spank me" she says, her high pitched voice full of emotion and pain as she cries.

Christian holds her head against his chest and rubs his hand up and down her arm. "I am not going to. I need you to calm down for me, okay? Take some breaths for me."

Phoebe does as she's told while he holds her. With each deep breath she takes her body starts to calm down. Christian lets go of her when she stops crying, but his hand is still on her back as she wipes her tears.

"What is it that you think you did?" he asks her.

"I freaked out on Grandma and Grandpa, so bad that they had to call you to come all the way out here." Phoebe continues to wipe the tears from her face. That's the most she's spoken since he got there.

Christian shakes his head. "That's not what happened. Yes your grandfather called me to let me know that you were having a hard time. They didn't want me to come out here. That was my decision. I wanted to be here for you." Christian's hand is now pushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Maybe I was having a hard time too. Maybe I wasn't looking forward to going a full week without having you around."

Phoebe shakes her head. She hears what is he saying to her, but she doesn't believe him. "Why? All I do is mess up. I'm not like you or Mom or Teddy. You guys are so perfect and I'm not."

Christian pulls her into a hug again and presses his lips against her hair. This time his hold on her is much stronger, and it takes her by surprise. "I don't want you to be perfect" he says to her softly. "I want you to be Phoebe. You're smart, you're funny, you're kind, and you're also young, you'll make mistakes and you'll learn from them." He continues to hold her and kiss her hair. "And when you mess up bad... I won't spank you, never again. Your mother and I will think of something else. Okay?"

Phoebe thinks about what her father has said. She manages to nod her head even though he is holding her tight. She wants to believe him, but she doesn't. He lets her go when he feels her body starts to relax again.

He brings his hand up to her face and wipes her tears. "I think we're both jet lagged. You should get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?" She looks down and nods. Suddenly she feels very tired. "Lie down." She does as she's told. Christian removes the trays from the bed and pulls the covers over her. She is lying on her side, facing him but her eyes are not on him. He lies down next to her and props his head up with his elbow and hand. He looks down at her and rubs his hand through her hair again. "Can I stay with you until you fall asleep?" Phoebe doesn't look at him but she nods. "Okay, and if you need me I'll be right across the hall, okay?"

Phoebe nods again. "Okay" she manages to say. Her voice is still filled with emotion.

Christian reaches over and kisses her forehead a few times. "Close your eyes." She does as she's told, and she's asleep instantly.


	16. Big Fifty

Christian lies awake at seven in the morning. It is only four in the morning in Seattle, but he decides to send his wife a text message anyway.

_**Hey Baby, are you awake?**_

He lies in bed for a few seconds and is surprised to receive a response.

_**Yes, just finished putting Natalie back down. She is an hour off schedule, which means she will be waking me up at six instead of seven :(**_

Christian reads the text and responds.

_**You should go back to sleep then, I don't want you to be tired. Sleep well Baby**_

He closes his eyes and tries to sleep, but sleep is not coming to him. He thinks about the conversation, or conversations that he needs to have with his daughter. He needs to make things right again for her. He needs her to be happy. His thoughts are interrupted when he receives another text message from Ana.

_**No, I want to know about our daughter. How is she doing?**_

_No? Did she say no?_ Christian is reluctant, but he responds.

_**She's emotional. She doesn't think she is anything like us, but she's wrong. She's like you in so many ways, Ana. She got her good qualities from you and the bad ones from me. Oh, and she talks in her sleep, she got that from you Baby**_

He closes his eyes again and waits for a response. He doesn't wait long.

_**What did she say in her sleep?**_

He frowns as he texts her back.

_**She thinks she's bad.**_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is lying on her back, trying to stay asleep, but there is something preventing her and waking her from her Non-REM sleep status. She feels a tickling sensation on her foot and immediately tries to pull her foot away, but there is a strong force gripping her ankle. That strong force being her father. _Oh no, he is tickling me_. She starts laughing uncontrollably as she struggles to pull her foot out of his grasp, but he is too strong for her. He starts to tickle her under her knee and she continues to laugh and struggle.

"Cut it out" she says, and he lets go. She sits up and sees that he's smiling at her.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks her.

She composes herself but she is blushing with embarrassment. "Fine, until someone decided to wake me with his…. tickling fingers" she says the last two words with anger. But she isn't really angry with him.

He chuckles. "It was time for you to wake up. You've been asleep for ten hours. And I won't apologize for tickling you if it makes you laugh." He moves to sit closer to her.

Phoebe blushes again and then turns serious. "Are we going home?"

Christian also turns serious. "Not yet. There's something I'd like to do first. So, get up, get dressed, brush your teeth and meet me downstairs. I've asked Miss Vance to prepare breakfast for us."

Phoebe looks down, afraid that she's not going to like what he has planned. "What do you need to do first?" she asks him nervously.

He sighs and takes her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. He looks down at their hands. "You and I need to talk….. about some pretty heavy stuff. Just you and me, and I think we should do that before we go back to Seattle. And I also have a surprise for you, a good surprise." He looks up at her to gauge her reaction. She looks frightened. He gently cups her chin, raises it and tries to reassure her. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise." He waits for her to say something, but she doesn't. She just nods and then breaks eye contact with him. He reaches over and kisses her forehead, keeping his lips there longer than he usually does. "Is twenty minutes enough time for you?" She nods again. "Good, I'll be downstairs, and if you're not down in twenty minutes I'll be back up here to help you."

He leaves the room, and Phoebe lets out a big sigh. _Have I been holding my breath?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few hours later Christian and Phoebe arrive at a marina. They are in a rental car and Taylor is driving. He pulls over to let them out. Christian thanks Taylor and takes Phoebe's hand, leading her over to a boat. She looks at it in disbelief. It is beautiful. There is wording on the side of the boat. "Paix"

Christian looks at his daughter and sees her staring at the word. "It's French for Peace" he tells her.

"I know. Is this your boat?"

Christian chuckles. "No, "The Grace" is my boat. This is your grandfather's. He's letting us use it today." He starts to lead her over to the dock, glancing at her a few times to gauge her reaction.

"We're going sailing?" she asks, not meaning to sound annoyed, but she is shocked.

"Yes, unless you don't want to" he says, his facial expression changing from playful to disappointed as he stops and looks down at her.

Phoebe quickly shakes her head. "No, I do, I guess I'm just….. surprised."

Christian's mood quickly changes again and he smiles. "Surprised? That I want to take my daughter sailing?" When they reach the dock he boards the boat and puts his hand out for her. She has a confused look on her face, but she takes his hand and he helps her onto the boat. "A good surprised?" he asks her before letting go of her hand. She smiles and nods. They move to the other side of the boat and he hands her a life jacket. "Here, put this on."

She gives him a defiant look. "Dad, I know how to swim. Is the water even that deep?"

Christian frowns. He does not like when she looks at him that way, and he especially does not like when she questions his authority, but he is immediately reminded of where they are, why they are here. He needs to be patient with her, he needs to be understanding. He cannot make her any angrier or more upset than she already is. He brushes it off as he looks at the water and then back at his daughter. "Okay, you don't have to wear it. But we'll keep it close by just in case something happens and we need to jump." He puts it aside and has Phoebe sit down. "Wait here, I just need to check on something." She does as she's told and watches him walk away.

She sees him talking to someone, probably someone that works at the marina. She can't hear what they are saying, but she sees them making hand motions. After a few minutes she sees the man hand a set of keys over to her father. _Wow, we're going sailing by ourselves, no security and no crew. Just the two of us_.

Christian walks back over to his daughter and motions her to come with him. She follows him over to the steering wheel and sits in a seat close by. She watches him as he starts the engine, and relaxes when she sees how relaxed he is as he eases the boat out of the marina. He has a smile on his face. _He likes this, he likes sailing, or maybe he likes that he is in control of the boat. I'm sure that's what it is._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once they are out in open water, Christian leads Phoebe to another part of the boat and they sit in cushioned seats facing each other. He hands her a bottle of water. "Here, we need to keep hydrated in this heat." She takes the water and drinks some of it, eyeing her father nervously but curiously. He takes a few sips of his water too and puts the bottle down. She takes notice that he seems nervous too. "I want you to feel like you can talk to me, without fear of how I'll react, and without fear of punishment. Do you think you can do that?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe thinks about it for a moment and nods. Christian nods too and presses his lips together. "I don't really hate you, I don't know why I said it." she says softly without looking at his face. Instead she is looking at her hands holding the bottled water.

"You were angry" he says. "People often say things they don't mean when they're angry. I'm really glad you didn't mean it."

Phoebe nods. The next words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, the thing that's been on her mind all morning. "Last night you said you wouldn't spank me anymore. Did you mean it?" She is still looking down at her bottled water.

Christian looks at her thoughtfully. "Yes, I meant it. Have you ever known me to go back on my word?"

Phoebe shakes her head, and then she chances a look at his face. "No, but you were so adamant about it. You said that anytime we defy you or put ourselves in danger… " she shakes her head and looks down again. "…. that it would be necessary."

"I still believe that it is the most effective way to punish" Christian explains. "But, it wasn't effective for you, at least not in the way it should have been." He stops and sighs before he continues. "You're supposed to associate the punishment with something you've done wrong so you don't repeat it, but instead, you've started perceiving yourself as bad."

Phoebe looks down at her water again. She wants to cry, but she does her best to keep her composure. She can't cry, not now. Not when they are finally talking about this.

He leans in closer to her. "You're not bad, Peanut. You're nothing close to bad. You are sweet, and kind, you work hard at everything you do…." he pauses for a moment and then he continues. "You have a smart mouth, you get that from your mother." He chuckles nervously and waits for her to look at him, but she doesn't. He keeps talking anyway. "Last night you said that you're not like me or your mother or Teddy, and in a way you were right, because you are Phoebe. You are your own person, but you are also like your mother in a lot of ways, in a lot of good ways." He stops and he frowns at his next thought. "But in some ways you are like me too. We are both stubborn and headstrong, and you've recently started doubting yourself."

Phoebe looks up at him and he is looking down. "You doubt yourself?"

"All the time" he confirms. He lets out a big sigh and runs a hand through his hair. "I want you to be able to talk to me about things, and Dr Flynn said that if I want that, then I need to lead by example." He pauses again before he continues. "I need to tell you something, it's pretty dark. Your mother is talking to Teddy about this, and I need to talk to you about it."

He has her full attention. She is looking at him with wide eyes. His tone is serious and somewhat scary. _Oh no, what is he going to tell me?_

"You already know that my birth mother neglected me. She was unable to take care of me. What you don't know is, she often had men at the house, her _pimps_." He grimaces as he says the word, and wonders if Phoebe even knows what the word means. "When I was four my mother and her pimp were often high on drugs. My mother was unconscious a lot, either because she was sick or because she'd been beaten. And after he was done beating her… he'd find me and beat me too. Often. Sometimes with his fists, or he'd kick me." He leaves out the part where the pimp used a belt. _She doesn't need to know about that._

Phoebe's mouth drops open, she is in shock. She had no idea that her father was physically abused as a kid. Then a thought pops into her head. His chest and his back, she's seen the marks but she never knew what they really were. "Those marks on your chest?" she asks softly. She shakes her head but doesn't make eye contact with him.

Christian nods. "Yep, he did that too. They are cigarette burns."

Phoebe sniffs and almost cries again, but she squeezes her eyes shut and avoids letting it out, but some tears manage to get past her and stream down her face.

Christian continues. _This is so fucking hard, but she needs to know_. "For a long time, I wouldn't let anyone touch me, not even your grandparents. I was afraid. I didn't talk to anyone either. I didn't think I deserved their love. I thought I deserved punishment. I thought my mother's pimps beat me because I was bad, because I was no good. It took my parents, my brother, my sister and your mother to get me to see that it wasn't true. They made me see that I was loved and that I was capable of giving love."

He looks at his daughter and sees the tears streaming down her face. He reaches up and gently wipes them with his hands. "Your mother and I saw a similar fear in you the other day when you wouldn't let us touch you, and it really scared us Baby. I don't want you to ever feel like you don't deserve our love."

Phoebe breathes and tries to calm herself down. "But, you didn't beat me. That's different. I know that."

Christian grabs a box of tissues from a nearby table, pulls one out and starts to dry her tears. "I'm glad you know the difference. But it doesn't matter. I've made a decision and I'm sticking to it. No more spanking. There are other ways to punish that won't cause long term emotional scars."

"You think I'm broken?" she asks, almost feeling insulted.

"No Phoebe, I don't think that. Your mother doesn't think that either. But you are sensitive, and there's nothing wrong with that. I like you that way." He reaches over and puts the box of tissues back on the table.

"I don't like that I'm sensitive" she says softly.

"Your mother was sensitive when I met her. She's gotten tougher over the years. And you will too." He takes another sip of his water and points to her water in her lap. "Drink." She does as she's told and takes another sip of her water. It feels good since her throat is starting to get dry.

"I know that it's a lot to take in" he says to her after a few moments of silence. He is referring to the information that he told her about his childhood. "I didn't tell you so that you would feel sorry for me, I told you so that you could understand what your mother and I saw in you the other day, so that you understand why I made this decision. I also told you because…." He pauses and runs a hand through his hair again. "This is hard for me to talk about. And I feel like I owe that to you since I'm asking you to talk to me about things that are difficult for you to talk about."

Phoebe nods, she gets it now. She wants to talk to him, but it is difficult.

Christian breaks the silence again and changes the subject. "Hungry?"

Phoebe nods again. She realizes that she is hungry.

Good. Miss Vance packed us some sandwiches. Wait here and I'll go get them.

_**Thank you again for reading and reviewing. There's more for them to talk about but I thought I'd split that into two chapters.**_


	17. Big Sail

Christian and Phoebe sit and eat their sandwiches in silence. Phoebe is struggling to eat her turkey and cheese hoagie while Christian is enjoying his Italian hoagie. Stella had gone to the market first thing after the Greys landed in Florida and bought all fresh vegetables, meats and fruits. Christian looks up at his daughter and frowns when he sees that she is not eating. "You don't like your hoagie?" he asks her, trying not to sound annoyed.

"It's okay" she answers him softly. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."

Christian puts his hoagie down and waits until he is done chewing. "You haven't eaten much since you got here" he says, this time letting his annoyance shine through. "You skipped lunch yesterday, you barely had a few bites a dinner and then again at breakfast this morning." Phoebe frowns and looks down at the sandwich in her hand. Christian sighs and runs his hand through his hair, he softens his tone. "I know you are going through a hard time, and I'm going to do everything I can to help you with that. But you have to eat, Phoebe. Please."

"I do eat, I just don't like to eat a lot" she says, her tone is still soft.

"You're too thin. We need to make sure you are getting enough nutrients. I'd like for you to finish your hoagie."

"Its kind of dry" she says as she looks up at him.

"Well, turkey and cheese is usually dry, especially if you don't take any mayonnaise or oil. Here…." he cuts off a chunk of his hoagie and hands it to her. "Try this, I think you'll like it."

Phoebe is reluctant. She examines the hoagie and almost starts to open it to pick it apart, but Christian stops her. "Don't pull stuff out of it. Don't even think about what's in it. Just take a bite." She does as she's told and takes a bite, and is surprised to find that she does like it. Her father can tell by her facial expression. He smiles when he sees her eyes widen after taking a bite. "If you finish that I'll back off until dinner."

After taking a few more bites Phoebe decides that she needs to ask him more about his story. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask me anything."

Phoebe takes a breath, and Christian can tell already that this is going to be a hard question. "Did your mother die because she was on drugs?"

Christian looks down as he thinks about his answer. "Yes Phoebe, she did."

Phoebe wants to know more. "What did you do?"

Christian looks down again and runs his hand through his hair. "I don't think I knew what it meant for someone to be dead when I was four, but I do remember her lying on the floor, still…. for a very long time. I remember that I was hungry, and scared. I remember her pimp coming over and trying to get her to get up, but she wouldn't. Next thing I knew the paramedics were there and they made me go with them." Christian looks up at his daughter. She is listening but she is not looking into his eyes. "Your Grandmother was at the hospital that day, and she was the one that examined me. She was so gentle. I remember the sound of her voice was very welcoming, very reassuring, and also very alien because I wasn't used to anybody being nice to me. I was used to loud noises, people yelling and screaming….and"

"And fists and cigarette burns" she finishes his sentence. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Christian shakes his head. "I don't want you to be sorry for me, Phoebe. I want you to understand that that part of my life is very difficult for me to discuss, but I'm willing to do that if it means that you will give me the same courtesy and talk to me."

Phoebe frowns. She knows he's right. He has shared something with her that so painful, so dark, and so unbelievably sad. _That's how badly he wants me to talk to him_. "Okay"

"Okay?"

Phoebe sighs. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Finish your sandwich first" he says as he points to the nearly finished piece that he gave her. "I need to go check on the weather."

Christian leaves Phoebe with her sandwich and her thoughts. She does as she's told and finishes the sandwich. When she is finished she cleans her hands and then lets her mind wander. _What are we going to talk about? I'm pretty sure it won't be about the weather. Will it be about school? The article? Jay? Oh no, I hope he doesn't ask me about Jay again. How embarrassing_.

Phoebe snaps out of it when Christian returns and sits down again. "Nothing but clear skies for now. Did you finish your sandwich?" Phoebe nods and tries to smile. "Good. Now, I want to talk about Jay."

"What about him?"

"Do you like him?"

Phoebe thinks about the question for a moment and breaks eye contact. She shrugs her shoulders. "I thought I did. But now he's just a creep."

"What did he do to change your mind?" Christian asks, trying to get her to say more.

Phoebe shrugs again. "I don't know. Just the way he is around me now. He comes up to me with a weird grin and touches my face. He's telling people that we… did it. I don't know why he's doing that. Nothing happened. And now people I don't even know are talking about it."

Christian leans in closer. He knows that she is not going to like what he has to say. "Phoebe, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but Jay…. he never liked you that way. Guys like him just want one thing from girls, and that's sex."

Phoebe tenses as he brings up the subject of sex. _He's not really going to talk about this, is he?_

"Guys are more focused on how many times they can do it, and how many girls they do it with. They get off on having more experience than the next guy. They like to brag about it. Some even lie about how much experience they have just so they can sound cool."

_Oh no, he really is talking about this. Where is the nearest hole I can hide in?_

"Unfortunately, most guys are like that. And girls aren't. Girls want the hearts and flowers and the feelings and commitments that go along with relationships, and guys just want physical, non-committed, non-emotional sex." He sees her growing more uncomfortable by the minute but he continues anyway. "You are so beautiful, Phoebe, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your father. I'm saying it because it is true. You are probably going to attract a lot of boys that aren't worthy of your time and your heart. It's going to be very difficult for you to find someone that is decent, and whose feelings are genuine. Someone that is interested in you, and who you are, and not just your body."

Phoebe sits with her arms folded across her chest. She keeps her arms there but starts to loosen the grip that she's had around herself. "Were you like that, were you like those boys?"

"Yes Phoebe, I was. And I wasn't the kind that lied about how much experience I had."

Phoebe grimaces. _Do I really want to hear this?_

"Your mother was not my first, but she is my now, and she was a lot of firsts for me. I didn't feel anything for any of the women that came before your mother. When your mother came along, she opened up a world for me that I didn't even know existed. She was the first woman I've ever really cared about, the only woman I've ever wanted more with, the only woman that I've ever loved."

Phoebe looks up at her father and sees that he is smiling. "That's nice" she says, and she means it. She never knew this.

"Yes, it is nice. It's more than nice. You know, experience is one thing, has its perks, but there's something to be said about waiting. Your mother can attest to that."

Phoebe's mouth drops open. This is something else she didn't know. "You were Mom's first?"

"Yes Phoebe, I was. That was one of the things I loved about her, one of the things I still love about her. She shared something with me that she'd never shared with anyone else." Christian smiles at the thought. He also takes pride in the fact that he taught his wife everything there is to know about sex and BDSM, but Phoebe doesn't need to know about that.

"So, I guess this is the part where you tell me that I should wait until I'm thirty" Phoebe says jokingly. She's trying to lighten the mood and forget about how awkward this conversation is for her.

"No, I'm not going to do that" Christian says. He still has a smile on his face. "But I want you to promise that you will wait until it is right for _you_, not for him. And I will always expect to meet any boy you go out with before you go out with him."

Phoebe nods. That part was a given. "Okay"

"Okay" Christian repeats as he changes tack. His facial expression changes, and Phoebe follows suit. "Phoebe" he says before he sighs heavily. "What Jay did to you was extremely inappropriate, and I wish to god I could have prevented that from happening." He runs both hands through his hair before he continues, and for a moment Phoebe thinks he is mad at her. "I need you to tell me how you felt when he….. when he tried to get you to do things you didn't want to do."

Phoebe pauses for a moment. Once again she'd like nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide from this conversation. But she knows she can't do that. She needs to talk to him. She needs him to talk to her. She needs all of her problems to go away. She needs to stop hiding. "I was scared."

"Scared" he repeats the word.

"Yeah, I didn't want to do anything more than kiss." Her voice is softer now, and she is not making eye contact with him.

"Was there ever a point where you thought he was going to force you?" he asks her, anxiety clear in his voice at the thought that this kid could have raped his daughter.

"No, it wasn't like that. It was more like pressure, to please him. But…."she starts to tear up but she wants to keep talking. "I didn't want his thing in my mouth or anywhere else inside of me. It freaked me out." The tears start to roll down her face and she is trying to fight her sobs. Christian leans forward and puts his arms around her to comfort her. She allows herself to cry into his shoulder. This feels safe to her. "I'm sorry."

Christian pulls her out of the embrace so that he can look at her. He holds her arms but she doesn't look up at his face. She wipes her tears away. "You have nothing to be sorry for, well, besides ditching security to be with this kid, but what happened in that car was not your fault. Do you understand?"

"How was it not my fault?" she asks as she wipes more tears away.

"You didn't know that that was going to happen. If you did, I'm sure you wouldn't have gone with him, am I right?"

Phoebe nods and takes some breaths to calm down. He lets go of her arms and she leans back in her chair. "Do you think there's something wrong with me? Like I'm missing that part of my brain that should want more than to have a boy kiss me?"

Christian laughs inside but doesn't let his daughter see that. _How can she even think that?_ No, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. I think that you are young, and not ready for something like that."

"When will I be?"

"When you're older. Right now, there are other things that are important to you. Your family, your friends, your piano lessons, your school work…. You have plenty of time for all of that relationship stuff later. I meant what I said, I'm not going to tell you to wait until you're thirty, but I want you to wait until you are older and ready. And until you are sure." He looks at her for a moment and waits for her to say something, or give him some kind of indication that she understands what he is saying.

Phoebe nods. "Okay. Thanks Dad."

Christian cocks his head to the side. "For what?"

"For the first time, I feel a lot less stupid about what happened with Jay. I'm sure that will change when I have to go back to school and see him again, but this helped. So thank you."

Christian smiles at her. "You're welcome. Anytime you want to talk to me, I want you to feel like you can."

"But this is you in Florida. Are you going to be this cool in Seattle?"

Christian thinks about her question for a moment. She has a point. This is quite a relaxing setting, out in the middle of the water with no one else around. He has been able to concentrate on his daughter and nothing else for the past few hours. It won't be like that when they are back in Seattle. Christian looks down and chuckles. "Point well made, Peanut. "I'll do my best."

Phoebe smiles too and relaxes a little, until he brings up his next point. "About that article" he says to her, and she freezes again. She was able to temporarily forget that there is a tabloid on every news stand in the country announcing that she is pregnant. "How did that happen Phoebe?"

Phoebe cannot find the words. She starts to feel sick but she fights the urge to allow her lunch to make an appearance. She squirms in her chair and tries to find the words, but they aren't coming. Christian reaches out and gently grabs her arms. "Hey, relax. You were doing so well. Just tell me, how did it happen?"

"You have to promise me you won't get mad."

Christian shakes his head, and does his best to keep his tone and temper in check. "Phoebe, I'm already mad, so just tell me, please."

Phoebe sighs. "Okay. The other day in school, Jay was there, and he was acting like something happened between us, so Ava thought telling him that I was pregnant with his baby would get him to back off."

Phoebe looks up at her father and bites her lip, trying to gauge his reaction. Christian continues to struggle to keep his tone and temper in check. "So Ava did this?" She told people that you were pregnant?"

"Not _people_, she told Jay, but she made sure other kids could hear her so that he would stop telling people lies about me. Dad, please, I don't want Ava to get in trouble. She was just trying to help."

"Ava's _help_ got you on the cover of the Seattle Rant" he says, his tone is now harsh.

"She didn't mean for that to happen. Just please, don't tell Uncle Elliott."

Christian looks at his daughter and manages to keep his tone in check again. "Phoebe, I'm not going to keep this from my brother. Besides, knowing your Aunt Kate I'm sure she'll just have a talk with Ava and that will be it." Christian hates that his brother and sister-in-law aren't more strict with his niece. They let her get away with a lot.

"Your mother and I have been talking to your Aunt Kate about how we can fix this mess. She's going to set up a televised interview with a colleague of hers so we can talk about my business, and we'll make sure she asks me about the article so that we can put an end to this pregnancy story."

"Just like that?" Phoebe asks.

"Just like that. I don't want you to worry." Phoebe smiles at him and starts to relax. "Anything else you'd like to talk about?" he asks her.

Phoebe looks down for a moment. She thinks about her grandparents. They brought her to Florida, and they wanted her to stay for the week. But she really wants to go home. "Do you think I'll hurt Grandma and Grandpa's feelings if I want to go home?"

Christian smiles at his daughter. She is so sweet, _how could she have ever thought she was bad?_ "I think your grandparents will be fine. They want you to be happy, Phoebe. Just like your mother and I do.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Phoebe arrive home in Seattle just in time to have dinner with Ana and Teddy. They greet Ana in the kitchen, and Phoebe immediately gives her mother a tight hug. Ana has tears in her eyes as she hugs her back and looks up at her husband. Just yesterday she said goodbye to her daughter, a girl that was so distraught and lost that she wouldn't allow her parents to touch her. And here she is now a day later, wrapping her arms around her mother so tightly. But it is a happy embrace. They have their Phoebe back.

Phoebe lets go of her mother and Ana looks her over. "Welcome home Baby. How was the flight?"

"We had a little turbulence, but other than that it was fine. I think we made good time, don't you?" Christian asks his daughter.

"Yeah, we were trying to get back in time to have dinner with you" she says to her mother. "Do I have time to go put some stuff away?"

"Sure, we'll have dinner in about fifteen minutes, okay?" Ana asks her.

Phoebe nods and gives her mother another hug before she leaves the room.

Ana watches Phoebe leave as Christian walks over to her. He puts his arms around her waist. "Who was that?" she asks him.

Christian laughs. "That was our Phoebe. She's very happy to be home, Baby."

"I'm so glad you guys are home. I've missed you" she kisses him, and he kisses her back.

"Did you miss me?" he asks her, he just wants to hear her say it again.

She smiles at him while her mouth is only an inch away from his. "Yes, I missed you last night. We're going to have to do something about that." They kiss again. "Make up for lost time. What do you say, Mr Grey?"

"What do I say?" He kisses her again. "I say we should let Natalie sleep in the nursery tonight."


	18. Big Showcase

Phoebe's POV

It's been two weeks since Dad brought me home from Florida. Things have calmed down a bit on the Grey front. Grandma and Grandpa are not upset with me, Teddy is no longer grounded, and Dad has been super nice and patient with me. I have to wonder if he really does think I'm broken. He told me he doesn't think that, but I'm unnerved because of the way he is around me now. He's been able to keep his temper at bay, even when I don't finish my dinner.

Mom and Dad appeared in a ten minute interview on the Today's show last week with Aunt Kate's friend. She's a reporter. Dad talked about recent successful projects that his company completed over the past six months, and he set the record straight that I am not pregnant. The kids at school have stopped whispering about me, at least I don't think they are whispering about me anymore. If they are, they are doing a very good job at hiding it from me. Jay is still acting all goofy and weird around me, smiling his seductive smile and touching my face every time he has the opportunity. I should tell him to back off. I don't know why I'm so shy around him.

I'm so glad Ava didn't get in trouble for telling Jay that I was pregnant. I know that Dad blames her for the article. I wish he wouldn't. I hope he can put this behind him and get along with Ava. She is his niece after all. Aunt Kate and Uncle Elliott had a talk with her and made sure she understood how much her little lie spiraled out of control. Grandma and Grandpa are hosting their annual masquerade fundraiser at their house next week, so we'll see how everyone gets along at our big Grey dinner table.

Our recital is today. I'm very nervous. I'm not nervous because I think I'll mess up, I'm pretty sure I'll make a mistake or two but that won't be a big deal. I'm nervous because I have a surprise for Mom and Dad. I've been practicing something else for eight months that I will do in today's showcase, and they don't know about it. Only Teddy knows about it because he takes piano lessons with me. This seemed like a good idea eight months ago, but now that the day has come, I'm kicking myself because I am afraid Dad will be mad at me. We've been getting along so well and I don't want to ruin that. But, this is a decision I made eight months ago, and it's too late to go back on it now.

We arrive at the school in Teddy's car. I'm so glad Mom and Dad let Teddy drive me. They are following us in their Audi which Taylor is driving. Teddy parks the car and turns off the engine. We sit there for about thirty seconds in silence.

"Are you ready?" he asks me.

I shrug my shoulders and let out a big sigh. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey" he says to me when I reach over to open my door. "You're going to do great."

I'm so glad I have a brother. I don't think I would have survived being an only child of a control freak father. Teddy and I have helped each other through it. I'm so grateful that he's in on this secret with me. It's been so difficult keeping this to myself for eight months, it would have been a lot worse if I didn't have Teddy in my corner. There were a few times that I wanted to give up, because it was too hard and I was scared about Dad's reaction, but Teddy wouldn't let me give up. There were also a few times that he threatened to tell Mom and Dad, because we were fighting and he didn't have anything else on me. But I know one of his secrets too. My brother has a girlfriend that Mom and Dad don't know about. I only found out because I caught him skyping with her one night when Mom and Dad were out. I don't know what the big deal is. I'm sure Mom and Dad would be fine with Teddy dating. But I agreed to keep his secret.

We arrive at the dressing rooms and Teddy and I have to part ways. He gives me a hug and gently pushes me into the girls' dressing room. I don't need to do anything to get ready since I got ready at home. I already have make-up on. I'm wearing my white collar button down shirt and black skirt which is the required dress code for all musicians in the show. My hair is down with soft curls. I like my hair like this. Mom helped me do it. I will be playing a piece in the first act, so I just need to mentally prepare myself for it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana applaud after their daughter performs her solo piano piece. She chose to play a song by Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 16, which Christian internally questions. She played it slow and in a more simple capacity. She chose an easy piece to play. She's been playing piano for ten years, so she should be choosing more advanced pieces for her showcases. He makes a mental note to ask her about it later.

After intermission, Christian and Ana sit through a few more acts before it is time for Teddy and Phoebe to perform a duet piano piece. They both sit at the piano and there is a dancer in the middle of the stage, posing and waiting for the music to start. Christian leans over and whispers to his wife as the music starts. They are playing a piece by Enya called "Shepherd Moons". "Why does our daughter have her hair tied back?" Phoebe's hair is neatly done in a French twist with a diamond barrette along the side.

Ana shrugs as she watches her children and the dancer. The dancer is performing a lyrical with many acrobat tricks. "I don't know." Ana watches and is impressed with how flexible the dancer is. She must have been dancing for years. Christian is still focused on his daughter's hair. _Her hair was so beautiful this morning, why did she change it?_

After the piece is finished, the crowd applauds and the dancer gracefully exits the stage. Phoebe removes her white collared shirt and gracefully walks over to the middle of the stage. She poses and waits for the music to start, and Christian's jaw drops. The music starts and Teddy is playing another song by Enya called "Book of Days". Phoebe is dancing. She is wearing a pale blue leotard dress, nude tights and nude jazz slippers. _She looks beautiful_ Ana thinks to herself. She has a smile on her face as she watches her daughter dance. Phoebe's dancing is graceful and flawless. Her lines, her jumps, her turns are all executed very well. Ana is so proud.

Christian on the other hand is furious. He is clenching his fists and his mouth is pressed into a hard line. He isn't paying attention to how well his daughter is dancing. He is focused on the betrayal, the lies, the going behind his back. She should have been practicing piano, not dancing.

When the performance is finished the crowd applauds. Ana has a smile on her face and a tear in her eye, she is so proud. That feeling fades quickly when she looks over at her husband. _Oh no, he's angry._ The crowd is still applauding when Ana looks back to the stage and watches both her kids take a bow and exit the into the wings.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After the showcase the students greet their families in the lobby. Everyone has smiles on their faces and they are celebrating their children's performances. Teddy and Phoebe find their parents and immediately sense that their father is angry. He tries to hide it, but Teddy and Phoebe can still see it.

"Nice job you guys" Ana says happily as she gives them both a hug. Christian stands there with his hands in his pockets and watches. He doesn't move to show his children the same affection as his wife. Teddy and Phoebe back away from their mother to face whatever reaction they are going to get from their father. They can already tell it is not going to be a good one.

"How long?" he asks coldly.

Phoebe freezes and suddenly she's at a loss for words.

"Answer me!" he growls. He is no longer suppressing his anger at what his children have done.

"Christian" Ana interrupts and puts her hands on him. "Why don't we do this at home?"

"No, I want answers now. How long have you been planning this?"

Phoebe answers him, but her voice is almost a whisper. "Eight months"

"Eight months?" Christian wails. "And you knew about this?" He looks at his son and scowls at him for a moment, making him squirm slightly. He then turns to his wife. "Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't. Christian people are going to start staring. Let's talk about this at home." Ana takes his arm and tries to get him to walk with her. Christian is reluctant. He is so angry. He doesn't like when people keep things from him. He likes to know what his wife and kids are doing at all times, but for eight months his kids were keeping this secret from him. He's already told Phoebe that he does not like when they keep things from him. _Was she not listening?_

"Fine" he says harshly. "Home"


	19. Big Fix

Phoebe's POV

I thought Dad would be mad, but I guess I wasn't expecting him to be this angry. What was I thinking? He wouldn't allow Teddy to drive his car home. Taylor is driving us in Teddy's car and Dad is driving his own car. I'm saddened by Dad's reaction. I was really hoping he'd like it. I worked so hard this year to learn how to dance and I practiced every day, making sure I had all the steps and making sure to improve on my technique.

When I approached our artistic directly eight months ago and told her that I wanted to learn, she was so sweet about it and set me up with private lessons when I was supposed to be practicing piano. She assured me that my parents didn't need to know about it. They were paying for me to take lessons, but it didn't matter which lessons I was taking. I told her I wanted it to be a surprise, and she understood. I guess she's not afraid of my father. Oh no, poor Miss Alana. I hope Dad doesn't sue her or something. She was only honoring my wishes.

When we arrive home, Taylor opens my door and I step out. Teddy and I both look at our father and he is scowling. Dad storms off into the house before any of us make a move. I have to suppress the tears that are threatening. Why is he acting like this? Was what I did really that bad? I walk over to my mother, hoping that she doesn't share my father's anger. Luckily she doesn't.

"I really messed up didn't I?"

Mom looks thoughtfully at me and brushes her hand up and down my arm. "I love what you did. Honey, you looked so beautiful up there. I'm so proud of you."

One tear manages to roll down my face. And I was trying so hard not to cry. "Thanks Mom."

"I'll talk to him." Mom walks away in the direction of our house, and Teddy comes up behind me and puts his arm around me. "It'll be alright Phoebs, we should give Dad some time to calm down."

How can Teddy be so calm? Dad is furious. He's furious at Teddy too. But somehow he is able to get me to relax about all of this. Sometimes it surprises me just how much Teddy is like our father. He doesn't have our father's temper or control tendencies, but he has everything else. He is beginning to look more and more like our father everyday too. I wonder how he feels about that. People often tell me that I look and act like my mother. That is such a compliment. I have so much respect and admiration for my mother. But I don't see what everyone else sees.

I manage to smile when Teddy pulls at me to walk into the house. His arm is still around me. I feel bad that Dad is mad at Teddy because of something I did, but at the same time misery loves company.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana joins Christian in his study. He is pacing and running his hand through his hair. He is also fidgeting. He often acts like this when he is so angry that he doesn't know what to do with himself. He doesn't know how to vent his anger. The playroom is no longer an option like it used to be. He and his wife still engage in some kinky fuckery and angry sex every now and then. Ana sighs and positions herself in front of her husband so that he has to stop his pacing.

"Want to go to bed?" she asks him.

Christian rubs his chin very hard while he thinks this over. "You sure?"

Ana nods. She loves this man so much, more than anything in the entire world, next to their children of course. Of course she will allow him to take this out on her in bed.

"Come" he commands. He takes her hand and they leave the study together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana lie in their bed after a series of both fucking and love making. Ana had allowed her husband to work her over with a flogger while she was blindfolded and tied up. Christian pulls his wife over so that she is resting her head on his chest. She can hear his heart racing. She lets out a chuckle amongst her heavy breathing.

"Something amusing you Mrs Grey" he asks her. His voice is normal, not a hint of the anger that he had unleashed earlier at the recital.

"You always amuse me Mr Grey" she answers him as she gently runs her fingers up and down his chest. "Except when you are angry with our children."

Christian's breathing is back to normal and he sighs. Ana can feel him stiffen. "I don't like what they did. I don't like that they went behind my back and kept this from me."

"I know" Ana says softly, still running her fingers along his chest. "We need to talk to them about this calmly, find out why they kept this a secret from us. An angry Christian is not going to be very productive if you want answers."

"I thought I was getting somewhere with Phoebe" Christian says, disappointment clear in his voice. "I thought after Florida she would be more open with me. But now, if she can keep this secret, and if Teddy can keep this secret, who knows what other secrets they are keeping."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana's POV

Dinner was quiet last night, and lunch is not looking any better today. Christian has not said a word to our children, and our children haven't said a word since sitting down at the table. "Pass the salt" is the only thing that my husband has said the entire meal. I am disappointed. I thought he was going to try to resolve things. Instead he is acting like a big baby. That's my fifty. I love him with all my heart, but sometimes he can be so stubborn and childish. This is a terrible example to set for our kids, giving the silent treatment instead of talking things out. He excuses himself from the table and heads to his study.

"Mom, may I be excused?" Teddy asks me. I let him go and ask my daughter to help me with the dishes.

"How long do you think Dad will be like this?" she asks me as she helps me put the dishes by the sink for washing. I'm having a really hard time with this. My husband and I need to show a united front with our kids, not go against each other or make the other look bad. I don't want Phoebe to feel bad about what she did. She did something so amazing and beautiful, but my fifty shades of fucked up husband is making it seem so ugly.

I gently cup her chin with my right hand. "I don't want you to worry. He just needs some time but he'll come around. If you like dancing I want you to keep doing it."

Phoebe nods and helps me wash and dry.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I am trying to bury myself in work since I haven't figured out how to deal with my kids yet. I still can't believe they did this. They know that I hate surprises. They know that I hate secrets. They know that I like to be in control, and that includes knowing what they are up to every minute of every day. So for eight months, for 242 fucking days they kept this secret from me. They saw me every day and they knew they were keeping something from me. And this came so easily to them. Makes me wonder what other secrets they are keeping. My brooding is interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Teddy"

"Come in." I don't know what I am going to say to him, but I'm very curious as to what he is going to say to me. "Sit. What can I do for you Theodore?" He doesn't like when I call him that. I've resolved to only use his full first name when I am angry or disappointed in him, so understandably he squirms in his seat.

"I know you're angry, because we went behind your back and kept this from you. But…. we didn't mean anything bad by it. We weren't trying to be vicious or defiant in keeping this from you. Phoebe just wanted to try this and thought it would be fun to surprise you and Mom."

When he finishes he looks up at me for a reaction. But I do my best to appear unreadable. I'm surprised that my son has approached me at all. He's becoming bolder and bolder by the day. I like that, but I don't need to let him know about it. "Regardless, I don't like the lying, and going behind my back. And that is exactly what you and your sister did." I tell him. Because that is how I feel. Surprise or no surprise, lying is lying and I am trying to teach my kids not to do that.

"What do we need to do to fix this?" he asks me.

I look at him and wait for him to look back at me. After a few seconds of silence he does. "You don't have to do anything. You are both grounded"

Teddy is upset by this, but doesn't appear surprised. "For how long?"

_How long?_ "I don't know yet. I should probably ground you for eight months, since that's how long you kept this from me." I watch as Teddy squirms again. Good, I still make him nervous, bold or not. "But I won't. I'll let you know when I decide." I'm hoping he understands that that was a hint that he is dismissed. And he does. He stands and puts his hands in his pockets. "Yes Sir." He walks out and closes the door. After he leaves I feel slightly guilty. Am I being too hard on my kids? I hate when I have to punish them, especially when they have to be grounded for a long period of time. How can they possible be happy when they are grounded? Why can't they just follow my rules so I don't have to punish them?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I find myself in my study again the next day. My kids have already left for school. Ana knocks and comes in before I give her permission. She is wearing a white button down collar shirt and a fitted gray skirt, nude stockings and black stilettos. God my wife is sexy. I don't like that she has to look this sexy when she goes to work. Why do her employees need to see her this way? I should be the only one that gets to do that. But then again, I guess my wife looks sexy in anything. She especially looks sexy when she is mad, and right now she is. She does not like that I still haven't resolved things with our kids. I have grounded them, and she doesn't think I should have done that. She wants me to see this from their side of things, but I haven't been able to see past the lies.

"I'll be leaving soon" she says to me. "Are you going into the office or working from home?"

"I think I'll work from home today" I tell her. I'm not in the mood to go to the office. I rather just stay in my study all day and work remotely. I'll probably even get more work done this way. I stand to greet my wife. "You look beautiful this morning." I kiss her, and even though she is unhappy with me she kisses me back. I am definitely one lucky son of a bitch to have such a lovely wife that puts up with me.

"I need you to do something for me?" she tells me, and I look at her questionably. "I want you to try really hard to see our kids' side of things. And I want you to push aside the fact that they lied to you and think about what they were trying to do. Phoebe's dancing was so beautiful, and I can't believe she was able to learn and perfect that much in just eight months. Were you even paying attention to her dancing?"

Was I paying attention? She makes a good point. I don't think I was paying attention. I was so focused on my anger and their betrayal that I was blinded. I didn't watch her dancing. Fuck, what kind of father am I? I need to rectify this immediately. "Hold that thought." I pick up the phone and ring Mr Resourceful. "Welch, yes, get me the video from my kids' showcase. Email it to me." I hang up the phone and my wife smiles at me. We stand there for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes and not saying a word. We can have a full conversation with just our eyes. God I love this woman.

When the email comes I break eye contact and sit down at my desk. I set my laptop up on the counter behind my desk so that my wife can see it too. We watch as our daughter dances to "Book of Days". Interesting choice for a song. I think she is telling me that this is what she wants to do, that nothing, not even my controlling nature is going to stop her. I suppress that quickly because I don't want to miss out on her dancing again, me and my stupid thoughts. She looks beautiful. Why didn't I see that on Saturday? How could I have missed that? "She really does look beautiful, doesn't she?" I say to my wife without taking my eyes off the screen.

Ana is standing behind me holding onto my shoulders. I think she is pleased that I am finally seeing this. I put my hand on top of hers. I am a proud father, and I should have acted like one on Saturday. I need to fix this, right away. But I need to wait until my kids are home from school. God, that's hours from now. I hate waiting. I have never been a patient man.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later in the afternoon, Christian silently glides into the library where his daughter is working on her dance technique. He doesn't want her to stop, so he doesn't make his presence known right away. She is wearing long black tight leggings and a loose purple shirt. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun. She prepares and then starts to do fouette turns. She does about four of them and then stops when she sees her father. She stumbles and almost falls over, but she is able to catch herself. She stands and looks down at her fingers which are knotting in front of her stomach.

"I didn't mean to startle you"

Phoebe takes a breath. She doesn't think this conversation is going to go well. "I didn't know you were home." She doesn't make eye contact with him. Instead she looks off to the side.

Christian walks up to her and gently cups her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I decided to work from home today." He lets go of her chin and puts his hand in his pockets. "I don't want to stop you from doing what you were doing. Why don't you show me what you've been working on?" He walks over and sits in a nearby chair, and Phoebe just stares at him in shock.

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now." He can see her reluctance and decides to soften his approach. "It's alright Phoebe, just show me what you were doing just now."

Phoebe turns and takes a few steps so she is further away from him. She tries to ignore the fact that he is there, because she knows she'll just lose focus and fall over. She prepares and then starts her fouette turns. She's a little shaky but she is able to get her balance and complete six turns. She gracefully lands in fourth position with her arm raised. She holds her pose for a few seconds and then shyly goes back to having her hands knot in front of her stomach, waiting for her father's reaction. He stands and walks over to her.

"I don't know much about dancing, but you did that really well."

Phoebe is shocked by the compliment, but she remembers her manners. "Thank you"

"You like doing this? Dancing?" Phoebe nods, and Christian nods back. "Let's take a ride. You can wear that or you can change, it's up to you."

"Where are we going?" Phoebe asks nervously.

"It's a surprise"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is silent during the car ride. She has changed into a pair a jeans but she is still wearing the loose purple shirt and her hair is still in a messy bun. She is both nervous and curious about where they are going. Christian is driving. He decided not to have security take them. It is not a far drive so Taylor can always meet up with them if needed. Christian parks the car and Phoebe knows where they are, at the studio where she takes piano and dance lessons. She is confused and even more nervous now. _Why are we here?_

"Are you coming?" Christian asks her. He opens her door and she climbs out of the car. He takes her hand and they walk into the building. They are shown into an office where Miss Alana is waiting for them. She greets them with a smile and shakes Christian's hand.

"What can I do for you two?" She asks, but she already knows the answer since Christian phoned her while Phoebe was changing.

Christian looks over at his daughter while he talks to Miss Alana. "Well, I'd like to sign my daughter up for some more dance lessons, if that's what she wants."

Phoebe perks up and can't believe it. _Did he really just say that? He's going to let me do this?_

"Well, we have our spring program starting next week. Phoebe, which classes would you like to take?" Miss Alana asks with a smile.

Phoebe looks back and forth between Miss Alana and her father. She thought her father would be furious with Miss Alana. But the mood between them is very light. "Um…."

Miss Alana can see that Phoebe is struggling so she decides to help. "You seemed to enjoy ballet and lyrical. Should we stick with that for the spring?"

Phoebe is still in shock, but she knows she needs to answer. "Yes" she says stiffly.

Christian reaches over and takes his daughter's hand. "Ballet and lyrical it is" he says with a smile. Miss Alana smiles in return and stands. She leaves the room to get the paperwork.

Phoebe is still in shock. Her father went from angry and distant to super supportive overnight. "You're letting me do this?"

"So it seems" he says, his tone is more serious now. "Phoebe, why didn't you just tell me last year that you wanted this?"

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders, but she knows why. "I didn't want it to be a big deal. I thought I'd try it, and if I didn't like it I could just go back to playing piano. I thought if I told you I wanted this, it would be like committing to it like I've committed to piano. I know how crazy you get, and I pictured telling you, and you having a dance studio built in our house."

Christian chuckles. _She knows me so well._ "What would have been wrong with that?"

"I just wanted to try it, not make a big deal of it. But, I found that I liked it and I wanted to keep doing it and learn more. And I still haven't told you, so I thought I would surprise you and Mom at recital time. I didn't think you would be this mad."

Phoebe frowns and looks down. Christian cups her chin and makes her look at him again. "I'm sorry about how I acted. You know I don't like surprises. This was supposed to be a good surprise, and I ruined it. I made you feel bad when I should have been supportive and proud of something you worked hard at. Can you forgive me?"

Phoebe nods and manages a soft smile.

"Thanks Peanut." They sit silently for a few seconds until Christian speaks up. "So you don't want me to build a dance studio in our home?"

Phoebe laughs. "No. Dad, please don't do that. I can practice in the library. There's plenty of room in there."

"What if I make the library more dance friendly. You know, we can replace the floor, put in a mirror?" Phoebe gives him a look. "You might as well say yes because you know I won't back down on this."

Phoebe smiles shyly and looks down. She knows he won't back down on this. He does a lot for his family, sometimes it is over the top, but that's just who he is. "Okay. Thanks Dad."

Miss Alana comes back with the paperwork and Christian signs it. He produces a check to cover her tuition for the spring session and they are all set. After Miss Alana leaves, Christian and Phoebe prepare to leave too. "Dad?" Phoebe stops him before he is able to leave the office. "Are Teddy and I still grounded?"

Christian ponders this for a moment. He was so focused on fixing this for Phoebe and making things right, he forgot that he had grounded his kids. "No, you're not grounded."

Phoebe smiles at him and Christian puts his arm around her, leading her out of the office.


	20. Big Bully

Phoebe's POV

It's Monday again. This past weekend went way too fast. We didn't have much to do since Grandma and Grandpa had to move their masquerade fundraiser to next weekend. The band that they hired became unavailable. I guess they really wanted this band to perform since they had to take the time to inform hundreds of guests that the fundraiser was moved. Either way, I'm very excited about it. This will be the first year that Ava and I will be old enough to go. Mom told me that people get dressed up really nice and wear masks, and that there will be auctions, dinner and dancing. There will be mostly adults there, but I know I'll have fun with Ava and Teddy. And I get to wear a pretty dress.

Mom and Aunt Kate have gone all the way to Portland today to shop for dresses for the party. They used to live there and there is a small boutique that they really like. I wish Ava and I could have gone with them, but Mom and Dad didn't want me to miss a day of school. Mom said she would take me shopping for a dress after school on Wednesday. She also said we can pick up some cute outfits for my dance lessons.

I'm walking toward my locker, which I share with Ava, and I'm surprised to not see her there. She is usually at the locker first. I guess I'll wait for her this morning. It's usually the other way around. As I wait I see her coming toward me. Rachel. She started picking on me recently. She's a junior and I'm a freshman, and she is taller than me. I'm not sure what her problem is with me. The other day she threw spaghetti on me during lunch and it stained my white uniform shirt. The day before that, she tripped me in the hall and I fell to my knees and dropped all of my books. And the day before that she put gum in my hair. I cringe as I think about what she will do today.

"Grey, nice shirt" she says to me as she chomps on her gum. I'm not sure why I do it but I look down at my shirt. Luckily Mrs Taylor was able to bleach it for me. Her friends are standing behind her and laughing. God, where is Ava when I need her? I don't know why I have a hard time sticking up for myself. "Hey, I just gave you a compliment. Do the Greys not have manners?"

"Thank you" I manage to whisper. Ava has finally showed up and she is standing next to me. She opens our locker, puts some things in and takes some things out like no big deal. Then she slams the locker shut and turns around to glare at Rachel.

"What's your problem Grey?" she asks Ava.

"I have a problem with you picking on my cousin. What's that about anyway?"

Wow, Ava's got guts, but I already knew that. I don't know why I'm surprised by that.

"Your cousin has something going on with my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?" Ava asks her defiantly.

"Yeah, Jay, but Phoebe here already knows that."

"Nothing's going on with me and Jay. I don't even like him" I say, but my voice is not very confident. Rachel doesn't buy it.

"I see the way you look at each other." She leans in closer to me and hovers. She is so close I can smell the faded peppermint flavor of her gum. "Stay away from him" she warns. I don't say anything. I watch her and her friends walk away.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is sitting in his office. He is in between meetings so he decides to check in with his wife.

============================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Monday 12:05pm PST  
Subject: Dress

Dear Ana,

I hope you are enjoying spending our money on a fabulous dress for the masquerade fundraiser, as I will enjoy peeling it off of you after. How goes the hunt for the perfect dress?

Love Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
============================================

He smiles as he hits send. He's hoping for a quick reply since he needs to attend another meeting shortly. He puts his blackberry down on the desk and starts to type up a business plan, but stops as soon as he hears his blackberry ping.

============================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Monday 12:10pm PST  
Subject: RE: Dress

Dear Christian,

Kate and I are still going through the dresses. There are lots to choose from, and I'll be sure to pick one that will be effortless for you to peel off of me, just in case we need to steal away a few minutes _during_ the fundraiser. Tell me how your day is going.

Love Anastasia  
CEO, SIP  
============================================

Christian reads the email and responds right away.

============================================  
From: Christian Grey  
To: Anastasia Grey  
Time: Monday 12:12pm PST  
Subject: A few minutes?

Dear Ana,

I hope to steal _more_ than just a few minutes away with my wife. I don't think I can sit through the entire party next to my sexy wife without some kind of release.

My day is rather boring. I have a few more meetings before I get to call it a day.

Christian Grey  
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.  
============================================

Andrea calls Christian after he hits send. She informs him about a problem with a project the company is working on. He immediately hangs up and calls Troy, the man he hired to oversee the project. He talks to him for a few minutes and tells him what needs to be done. "I don't care how long it takes, just get it done" he yells into the phone as his blackberry pings again.

============================================  
From: Anastasia Grey  
To: Christian Grey  
Time: Monday 12:16pm PST  
Subject: A Lifetime

Of course, more than a few minutes. What was I thinking? Now stop emailing me so that I can pick out a dress and come home to my husband.

I Love You!

Love Anastasia  
CEO, SIP  
============================================

Christian runs a hand through his hair as he thinks about the last phone call and the upcoming meeting he has. He locks his computer, grabs his blackberry and his notes and leaves his office.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe and Ava are at their locker again between classes. Ava is excited about the upcoming masquerade fundraiser and hasn't stopped talking about it. Phoebe has been half listening to her. She is nervous about what Rachel will do to her today, since she's done something to her every day since last week. There are only two periods left in the day, so it is only a matter of time before she tries something.

"Hey" Ava says to Phoebe and snaps her fingers in front of her face. "Where were you just now?"

Phoebe puts some books in the locker and then hugs the ones that are in her arms. She doesn't answer her.

"You're worried about Rachel?" Ava asks, disappointment clear in her voice. "Why don't you stick up for yourself, show some guts?"

"I'm not like you, Ava. You always know the perfect thing to say to people and I don't."

"You need to believe in yourself more" Ava says. "She's just a bully. Don't let her walk all over you."

Ava turns around to see Rachel and her posse approach them. Ava stands with confidence, while Phoebe continues to hug her books and avoid eye contact.

"Grey" she says. Phoebe still avoids eye contact with her. "I don't know why you feel the need to make me feel jealous by flirting with my boyfriend."

Phoebe can't believe it. _Is this girl for real?_ "I didn't"

"Don't play dumb. I saw you two together. Do you have any idea how much this hurts?" Rachel puts her hand to her chest. It is all an act, and Phoebe and Ava can't figure out why she is doing this.

Phoebe shakes her head. "Rachel, I have no idea…."

She is interrupted when Rachel shoves her into the locker. "Shut up." Ava moves to help her cousin, but two of Rachel's friends hold her back.

Ava struggles against them, but it is no use. They are bigger than her. "Let me go" she says to them as they each hold an arm.

"Rachel, please" Phoebe tries to plead with her as she is held against her locker.

"Please, please what, Grey?" Rachel starts to rough her up, and nobody can help her. Phoebe finally drops her books and starts putting her self-defense classes to good use. She is able to get the upper hand with Rachel, until one of her friends steps in and helps Rachel knock her to the floor. Phoebe screams out in pain because the impact hurt her upper back. After a few seconds she is able to get out from under Rachel and grab her wrist as she sits up. The headmaster walks over to them and stops them from fighting. Rachel pulls her wrist back and holds it, crying out and pretending that Phoebe hurt her. The headmaster orders Phoebe and Rachel to his office and delegates two teachers to question the students that witnessed the fight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is once again in his office. _One meeting to go_ he thinks to himself. The past week has been very stressful for him since his company has taken on double the capacity of projects, which means more meetings, more planning and more delegating. He cannot believe the amount of calls he's received over the past week over the stupidest things, things that he's hired onsite managers to take care of. He looks down at his blackberry. He's been so distracted he didn't even know it was ringing. Ava is calling him.

"Ava, is everything alright?" he asks, worried since his niece rarely ever calls him.

"Uncle Christian, it's Phoebe, I think she's in a lot of trouble. Can you come to the school?"

Christian is so tired and spent from all of the meetings and phone calls, it takes him a moment to register what she said. "Ava, what happened to Phoebe?"

"This girl Rachel has been picking on her. She got her in trouble and all the kids are saying it was her fault. Uncle Christian she didn't do anything. You have to do something." Ava doesn't sound like herself. She's usually a spirited spitfire. _This is bad._

Christian immediately jumps out of his chair and grabs his keys. "Ava, where is Phoebe now?" He starts walking out of his office and past Andrea. "Cancel my last meeting and hold all of my calls" he demands.

"She's in the headmaster's office."

Christian frowns. He didn't receive a call from the school yet, but just to make sure he will check the call history to make sure he didn't miss it. "I'll be there soon Ava."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

I am sitting in the headmaster's office waiting to face my fate. I'm going over the events of the past thirty minutes in my head, and nothing is clear. Nothing makes sense. Why did Rachel attack me? Or did I attack her? I'm not really sure. The nurse came to the headmaster's office to examine Rachel's wrist. She is sitting a few feet away from me right now holding an ice pack to her wrist. When no one is looking, she smiles at me, like she's succeeded in some evil plot. What is she up to?

She immediately goes back to pouting when the headmaster approaches her. He dismisses her, but keeps me there for longer. Oh no, Mom and Dad are going to be so mad if I get in trouble. This is the first time I've ever had to sit in this office. I've never even received a demerit, and now I am sitting in the headmaster's office. All because of what? A fight? Her bullying me? My self-defense? I did hurt her wrist, at least that's how it looks. Rachel may have been faking it. She sure fooled the nurse and headmaster if that's the case.

The headmaster approaches me with some pieces of paper he is reading. He doesn't look happy. He's been silent since bringing me in here. I wish he would say something and get this over with. I'm shaking, I'm so nervous.

"Phoebe, such a long list of infractions" he says to me. He is shaking his head.

_What?_ "What?"

He doesn't look at me right away. His eyes are on one of the pieces of paper in his hand. "It says here that you've cut classes, failed to hand in homework assignments, got caught cheating on a test, failed to return library books…."

I shake my head. I have no idea what he is talking about. "Mr Braxton?"

"I wasn't finished" he barks at me. He is now looking at me, or rather glaring at me as he lowers the papers in his hand. "It also says that you were never punished for any of these infractions. If we add today's incident with Miss Wilson we have a total of ten infractions, Miss Grey. Do you know what that means?"

I gulp. Mom and Dad told me that they never consented for the school to corporally punish me or my brother, but I watch as he walks over and takes a paddle out of a drawer. My stomach starts to cramp up and I feel sick. I start to feel the vomit coming and I do my best to suppress it, but the pressure is just too great. I keel over and vomit on his office floor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I yell at Taylor to drive faster. I need to get to Phoebe's school to find out what is going on. I know I shouldn't yell at my right hand man like this, after all he does and has done for me and my family. Today is just not the day for this. I've had meeting after meeting after meeting today along with idiotic problems that my generously paid employees should be handling. I am mentally drained, but I need to get it together in case my daughter needs me. Ava didn't sound good on the phone. She sounded scared for my daughter, which has me worried. What could this possibly be about?

I arrive at the school and find Ava and Teddy outside of the headmaster's office. There are still classes going on so nobody else is in the hall. Rather than burst into the office I ask my niece to explain what is going on.

"This girl Rachel, she's been picking on Phoebe. She shoved her against the lockers, and then on the floor and started slapping her around. And then Phoebe was able to get her off but the headmaster thought Phoebe was responsible for the fight."

Ava speaks too fast sometimes, it takes me a moment to register what she is saying. My hand is on my forehead right now and I am staring into her face as the words finish being heard in my head. "Why would he think that Phoebe started the fight?"

"Because that's what her stupid friends told him. They lied Uncle Christian. And now Phoebe is in there with Mr Braxton alone. He sent Rachel out about twenty minutes ago."

I am fuming now. Why does he have my daughter in there? I didn't get a call from the school to let me know that my daughter was sent to the office. I don't waste any more time. I walk past my son and my niece and storm into the office. I don't worry about knocking and I don't worry about the look that the headmaster's secretary is giving me right now. She tries to stop me, but she doesn't stand a chance. Hasn't anyone ever told her, you do not mess with an angry father?

The headmaster's office door is locked, so I kick it open. What I find makes me absolutely livid. I want to grab the headmaster and throw him through the glass window, but not before I get some punches in. I have to suppress that because I am no good to my family in jail. There is a foul odor so I immediately look down to see the pile of covered vomit on the floor. _He had her so scared she vomited._ I up look again, and Phoebe is facing me so I can see her face. It is beat red and tear stained. She doesn't look up at me. She is bent over the desk, supporting herself with her elbows and her hands are folded. The headmaster is standing next to her holding a cane. _A fucking Cane!_

I walk over and stand next to my daughter, pulling her panties up and fixing her skirt so he stops staring at her bare bottom. _Fucking pervert_. How dare he do this to my daughter? I gently place my hands on her waist and get her to stand up so that she's not bent over the desk. Ava and Teddy have followed me in, so I guess by now they have figured out what's been happening too. Ava's hands are covering her mouth and her eyes are wide open with shock. Teddy puts his hands on Ava's shoulders as he looks over at me and Phoebe. I turn Phoebe around and hold her, but she doesn't make a move to put her arms around me. Her hands are still folded and her elbows are bent up. She is shaking and sobbing in to my chest now. I need to get her out of here, but not before I have a chat with this son of a bitch.

"Peanut, go with Ava and Teddy and wait for me in the hall" I say to her softly. I look over at Teddy, hoping he takes this as a sign to come and get his sister. He does. He walks over, puts his arm around his sister and patiently walks her out of the office. Ava follows. I can see how much pain my daughter is in. It makes me sick. I have to fight the urge to kill this filthy piece of trash that stands before me.

"You are going to tell me why you did that to my daughter"

The headmaster looks at me and tries to act tough, but I can tell that he is nervous. _Good, he fucking should be_. "Mr Grey, your daughter's records show a list of infractions that she was never punished for. And just today, she was caught in a physical altercation with another student."

"Why wasn't I called for any of these infractions?" I ask him. I keep my voice low and harsh as I keep resisting the urge to physical hurt this guy.

"You would have gotten phone calls Mr Grey. Perhaps we should check our records to make sure we have correct contact information for you and Mrs Grey."

Is he kidding me with this? "Yes, we will do that. Next question. I believe my wife and I haven't given this school consent to corporally punish either of our children. And yet, I walk in here to find you caning my daughter." I'm starting to raise my voice. A father can only take so much. "Why?"

"I checked your daughter's file before I administered the punishment. It shows consent"

"Show me the contract that I signed" I growl at him, angling to show that he is full of shit.

"We are paperless Mr Grey. Everything is done by computer now."

"Show Me The Contract" I spit each word out with purpose. He freezes, and then reaches down to push a button on his phone.

"Miss Kraus, get me the paper file for Miss Grey"

I scowl at him as we wait for the paper file. It takes about five minutes for Miss Kraus to fetch it and bring it to him. He opens the file and looks through the paperwork. When he comes across the paper that I'm assuming is the contract his face turns as white as a sheet. I am furious. How can they make such a careless error, an error that caused so much pain and humiliation for my daughter? Oh, they are going to pay for this. I walk closer to him and look down at him, waiting for him to react. I can hear him gulp. He can't possibly have anything else to say, and I have got to get out of here before I kill him. I have enough on him to let the legal system take care of him. I leave the office, once again with purpose. But I know I need to calm down, for Phoebe's sake. I need to calm down so that I can take care of her. I find the kids in the hall waiting for me, just like I told them to. Teddy is holding Phoebe and she is sobbing. Ava is standing next to her and running her hands through Phoebe's hair. Sawyer and Taylor are also with them. I instruct Sawyer to take Ava home, even though school isn't over yet. Taylor will drive me and my kids home. I gently scoop Phoebe up, cradle her in my arms and walk out of the school.

_**Thank you for your continued support and reviews. I know this chapter was pretty bad for Phoebe, but what happened to her will have a big effect on both Christian and Teddy. I hope you stick around to find out what happens. Happy Reading!**_


	21. Big Remorse

Christian walks into Phoebe's bedroom with her cradled in his arms and Teddy right behind him. He gently lays her on her bed so that she is leaning on her side. She winces in pain and continues to cry. He's not really sure what to do to help her. She's never been in this much pain. In fact, he's never seen anyone in this much pain. Not himself, not his subs, not even his wife while she was in labor. This is killing him.

Teddy is standing at the bottom of the bed, feeling the same way his father is feeling. He feels helpless and sad for his sister. From where he is standing he can see her thighs. They look severely bruised and extremely painful. He just wants to cry when he sees that. He suppresses it and moves to sit on her bed so her thighs aren't in eyesight.

When Phoebe tries to talk, Christian moves a chair over to her bed so he can sit and hold her hands. He wants her to calm down and breathe. "Daddy… it… it hurts" she manages to get out. He tries to shush her but she keeps trying. "I didn't… I…. I didn't do…"

"It's okay Peanut." He continues to hold her hand and uses the other hand to rub through her hair. "I know it hurts but I need you to breathe, okay?"

"Braxton….. he said I…. he said I did things, I didn't" she is able to get it out before her crying gets worse. Christian sighs and looks over at Teddy, and then back at his daughter.

"I need to go and get some things for you. Teddy will sit here with you okay?" She nods to let him know she understands. "I'm going to be right back." Christian stands and motions for Teddy to sit in the chair. He does and hesitates before he takes his sister's hands in his.

Out in the hall Christian pulls out his blackberry and hits the speed dial. "Welch, I need you to tap into my kids' school computer. Find out the last time my daughter's file got updated. I need to know exactly what got changed… call me back." He drops the blackberry into his pocket and rushes to his bedroom, feeling free to let his anger show since he is not around his kids. A few minutes later, he walks back into Phoebe's bedroom with Advil, water and a container of cream. He has Teddy keep his seat on the chair holding her hands. He sits down and shows her the medicine. "Are you able to lean up so you can take this?" After much hesitation, Phoebe manages to lean up on her elbow so that she can take the Advil and swallow the water. She lies back down and winces, causing her to cry out again. Next Christian shows her the cream. "Here, you need to rub this on your bruises."

Teddy eyes the container of cream suspiciously. _Why does he have that?_

When Phoebe doesn't make a move to take the cream from him, Christian tries again. "Peanut, it will help, I promise."

"I can't" she whimpers. She breathes a few times and says it again before she starts sobbing. "I can't"

"Okay." He leans over, puts his hand in her hair and plants two soft kisses on her wet cheekbone. "I'll do it"

He stands and walks around the bed so that he is behind her. He sits down and gently raises her skirt so that he can see the bruises. He suppresses a gasp that threatens to leave his lips. He doesn't want Phoebe to hear that. He opens the cream and gently applies it to her bruised thighs. She winces and cries in pain as he does it. Teddy holds both of her hands and encourages her to squeeze his when it hurts. She does as she's told as she grits her teeth and even starts to move her legs slightly, the body's natural reaction to move away from the pain. Christian is able to get some of the cream on her thighs and some on her bottom. When he's done he puts the cream aside and moves to the bottom of the bed to remove her shoes.

Teddy looks up at his father as he does it. "Why do you have that?" Christian gives him a quizzical look so he elaborates. "The cream?"

Christian removes one shoe and starts on the other. "Why do you ask?" He doesn't want to tell his son the real reason for having Arnica cream in the house.

"I thought that stuff was only for severe pain and bruises. I don't remember anyone in the house being injured."

Christian removes the other shoe and is saved by his blackberry. He knows it is Welch so he needs to leave the room. "I need to take this, I'll be right back."

Once he's in the hall, Christian listens as Welch gives him information about Phoebe's file. He learns that changes were made today to show that punishment was administered for ten recent incidents, which include cutting class, being late for class, cheating on a test, failing to hand in homework, not returning library books, talking in class, being rude to a teacher, being disruptive in class, not wearing her uniform correctly, and starting a physical altercation with another student. He learns that a few days ago, nine of those incidents were added to her file. He also learns that his and Ana's phone numbers were changed as well as the option to consent to corporal punishment. Christian is fuming right now. How could somebody do this? _Why_ would somebody do this? "Find out who did this" he demands.

He starts to put the phone back in his pocket but it rings again. It is Taylor. "Sir, your mother and the detective are here."

"Thank you Taylor. Please show them in. We are in Phoebe's room."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian greets his mother outside of Phoebe's bedroom and gives her a hug. He is introduced to the female detective from Seattle Special Victims Unit. He leads them into his daughter's room. "Teddy, why don't you go give Ava a call, let her know how Phoebe is doing" he tells his son so that he has a reason to leave the room. He gives his sister's hands a squeeze before he stands and walks out.

Christian sits on the chair and takes his daughter's hands. "Peanut, Grandma is here. I've asked her to come to examine you so that we can avoid a hospital visit."

"Hey Baby" she says to her granddaughter from the other side of the room.

"Hi Grandma" she manages to say, since she is still whimpering, crying and sniffing.

Grace puts her hand on the detective's arm. "This is Detective Bryce. She's going to observe so she can write up a police report." Phoebe doesn't say a word, so Grace proceeds to sit on the bed behind her. "I'm just going to lift your skirt so I can examine the bruises sweetheart. Grace proceeds to examine her while Christian holds her hands. He rubs them with his thumbs as he watches his mother. "This couldn't be just from a cane" she observes out loud. "Honey did he use something else?"

Phoebe sniffs. "Paddle"

"We need to take pictures for the police report. Honey, I'm going to lower your panties so we can take the pictures, okay?"

"No" she says with anxiety clear in her voice. She starts shaking. She doesn't want anyone to touch her because she knows it will hurt.

"Is it really necessary?" Christian asks.

"We'll have a better chance of getting a conviction if we have pictures of all of the bruising" Bryce explains.

"It will hurt" Phoebe cries. She squeezes her eyes shut at the pain.

Christian moves his hand into her hair again to reassure her and kisses her hairline. "Gentle, Baby, okay? We'll be gentle. How 'bout I do it for you?"

She nods her head. She already let him put the cream on her. Might as well let him do this too. He reaches over and gently removes her panties. Bryce holds up an evidence bag, motioning him to drop them in there. "I'll get your favorite blue blanket. Where is it?" he asks his daughter.

"Closet" she manages to blurt out. Christian walks into her closet to fetch her favorite baby blue blanket while the detective takes the pictures. After she is finished, Christian drapes the blanket over his daughter so that she is covered up to her stomach.

"Phoebe, do you hurt anywhere else?" Grace asks her. She doesn't get an answer so she presses her. "Honey, if you have any other bruises we need to know about them for the police report.

Phoebe stops shaking since she has her blanket and her father holding her hands again. "My back" she says before she sniffles.

Christian looks up at his mother. He didn't know that she hurt her back. Grace lifts Phoebe's shirt up to examine her and sees that she has a bruise on her shoulder blade from when she was knocked to the floor. The detective takes a picture of that too. When the exam is over, Christian kisses Phoebe's hands and stands to talk to his mother out of earshot.

"Well?" he asks her.

"He really did a number on her Christian. What he did was completely savage. My poor grandbaby" she says sadly.

Christian looks over at his daughter. She is in so much pain and he still feels so helpless. "What can I do to help her?"

Grace looks over at her too. "She already took Advil, and the cream was a good idea. Maybe a hot bath, have her soak in it for a while." Christian nods his head and keeps his eyes on Phoebe. "Bryce is going to need to ask her questions about what happened"

"She's not ready for that" Christian says. She can hear the exhaustion and sadness in his voice.

"I know, but you shouldn't wait too long. I can't stay, I have afternoon appointments. Are you going to be okay?"

Christian nods his head again and looks at his mother. "Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine."

Grace kisses her son on the cheek and walks over to say goodbye to her granddaughter. Christian watches and slowly runs a hand through his hair.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy is in his room talking to his girlfriend on Skype. He figures he won't get caught since his father is busy with Phoebe. When Rebecca sees him she can already tell that something is not right before he even says a word.

"What happened?"

Teddy works to control his breathing before he answers. "Braxton beat my sister with a cane"

"What?" she is appalled. "He has a cane?"

"Yeah. My Dad busted in to stop him, but it was too late. He had already done so much damage." Teddy rubs his face. He so is exhausted and sad for his sister.

"How is she?"

"Not good. She's in a lot of pain. Makes me wonder…."

"What?" she asks him when he stops talking.

"Are we doing the right thing? I mean, what you want me to do to you…. at first I thought I understood why you enjoy it, but after seeing what happened to my sister today…"

"Teddy, no, you can't think like that. There's no comparison."

"How is it different Rebecca?" he asks her. He runs his hand through his hair like his father does when he's exasperated.

"I know you would never hurt me Teddy, I trust you." She has a smile on her face, and Teddy can't help but smile at her for a moment.

"Why do you trust me?"

"I think you've done your share to earn my trust. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do" he answers her without hesitation.

"So, trust me to stop you anytime it becomes too much. We've talked about this. And we can keep talking about it as much as you need to. But, you need to understand that there is nothing wrong with what we are doing. And it is nobody's business but ours."

Teddy runs his hand through his hair again. "I just worry, that I'll get so caught up in it, and not hear you safeword. I would never forgive myself if I hurt you."

"You won't. Stop worrying. You haven't hurt me so far, right?"

Teddy sighs and manages to smile at her again. "You're right. I just feel so angry right now, so helpless, and so disgusted. How can that fucker do that to my sister?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure your father is going to make him pay." She hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "So, do you think you can get away tonight?"

Teddy rubs his face again. "Not tonight, I think I should stick around here, in case there's something I can do."

"Okay, Wednesday then, during study group" she says, planning their next fucking session.

Teddy manages a smile as he thinks about it. "Wednesday"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is in the tub in the master bathroom. Christian has filled the tub with hot water and she is soaking in it. Her stomach and chest are leaned up against the side and she is leaning on her arms on the edge of the tub. She can't sit down, it hurts too much. She is whimpering and crying from the pain. Christian walks over and sits in front of her so that he is at eye level with her. "Is this helping at all?"

"It hurts" is all she is able to say. She continues to whimper and cry. Tears are rolling down her face, and Christian continues to feel helpless as he watches his daughter suffer. "Where's Mom?"

"She's on her way back from Portland, Baby. She will be here soon." He leans up to fix her hair in a bun so that it doesn't get wet. "Just a few more minutes and then I'll get you out, okay? Then we'll get some more cream and then you can sleep. I think sleep will do you some good." Even though her hair is tied back he still rubs his hand through her hair. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Phoebe sniffs and tries to get control of her breathing. "I just want it to stop h h hurting."

Christian leans forward and plants a soft kiss in between her eyes and tries to comfort her. This is killing him. His daughter is in so much pain she can't even sit. She can't calm down and she can't stop crying. He is definitely not in control of the situation. He's doing everything he can to prevent moments from his past from resurfacing. He can't think about that now, but at the same time he can't help it. This is what he used to do. Maybe not as extreme, but he hurt women like this, and he enjoyed it. As these feelings start to haunt him, he starts to feel sick. He does his best to suppress it so that he can take care of Phoebe.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few hours later, Ana is home and is brought up to speed with what happened to her daughter. Christian did not want to tell her or Kate while they were driving back to Seattle from Portland. What good would that have done? After she composes herself from crying in her husband's arms, she walks up the stairs to the second level and walks into her daughter's room. She had fallen asleep after her bath. When Ana walks in she looks down and watches her daughter for a few minutes. Her heart breaks when she thinks about what she went through today, how scared she must have been, and how much pain she is in. Phoebe slowly wakes up, and when she sees her mother she starts to tear up. Ana sits on the bed and holds her daughter in her arms. Phoebe winces from the pain of moving around so suddenly and cries in her mother's arms. Ana tries to hold it together, but she finds herself crying too. She stays in her daughter's room again until she falls asleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian stands at Phoebe's door and looks down at two of his girls. Phoebe is asleep with her head in Ana's lap, and Ana is stroking her hair. He manages a smile and walks out. He stands in the hall and waits for Ana to come out. When she does, she is immediately welcomed into his arms. They hold each other for a while in silence. When Ana pulls away, she senses that Christian has more on his mind than their daughter.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks him.

Christian is reluctant, but he knows he can't avoid this conversation for long. "The fifteen"

"Why?"

"Why?" he asks in a disgusted voice. He is so disgusted with himself. "Ana, all of those women had fathers, fathers that probably loved them like I love our Phoebe. Could you imagine what they would have done if they knew what their daughters were doing with me?"

Ana doesn't know how to answer his question. He wasn't thinking like a father back then, but things have changed. He _is_ a father now. He feels happiness and pain for his kids. He didn't have that when he was a dominant. In fact, he was convinced that he didn't have a heart.

"Christian, those women were consenting adults. Not sensitive, emotional teenagers."

"I still wouldn't want Phoebe involved in any of this even if she was an adult. So I'm sure those fathers felt that way too. I'm no better than that fucker Braxton" Christian says as he frowns.

Ana puts her hands on his face. "You are nothing like him Christian. Do you hear me? You are a wonderful husband, and a wonderful father. You would never hurt anyone like that, certainly not a child."

Christian hears what his wife is saying, but he doesn't agree with her. He doesn't see how his need to beat brown haired women is any different than the headmaster's need to beat his daughter. His brooding is interrupted when his blackberry rings. Ana leaves go of his face so that he can answer. "Grey… I see…. Thank you Welch" He puts his blackberry back in his pocket and looks at his wife's quizzical expression.

"What?" she finally asks him.

"That was Welch. I asked him to look into Phoebe's school records, and find out all he can about Braxton"

"And?"

Christian hesitates. He starts to feel sick, he doesn't want to say it out loud, otherwise it will be true.

"Christian, what is it?" Ana asks, her tone a bit harsh.

Christian looks into his wife's eyes. "Braxton is married to Jasmine Sutter… one of the fifteen."


	22. Big Distractions

Christian's POV

I'm pacing in my bedroom, running my hands through my hair several times like I have some kind of fucking twitch. I can't seem to wrap my head around this. Jasmine Sutter, my ex-submissive from over twenty years ago, married to my kids' headmaster. The headmaster that savagely beat my daughter with a cane. It can't be a coincidence, right? She must've told him. She told him. Why else would he have gone overboard with the punishment? So much for the NDA. I have to find out. I have to meet with her and find out if she told her husband about what we did all those years ago. I look at the clock and it is nearly ten o'clock. Her store is closed, too late to go see her now. I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I hate waiting. I've never been a patient man. Luckily a distraction comes in the form of my wife and baby girl. Ana had just given Natalie a bath. She is walking toward me, holding Natalie wrapped in a towel.

"Would you like to dress her or get her bottle ready?" she asks me. I know she is trying to distract me from my brooding, and I am grateful for it.

"Let me take her off your hands, Mrs Grey." I take Natalie in my arms and hold her. I love the feeling of having her in my arms. This innocent little person totally dependent on us to take care of her, waiting to learn everything there is about life, and trusting Ana and I to teach her. I lay her down on the bed and make sure her skin is dry, put some baby lotion on her, a diaper and pajamas. I pick her up and sit her on my lap so I can put a bib on her. She is smart enough to know that the bottle is coming next, but Ana isn't back yet. Natalie starts to cry when she realizes that I don't have the bottle. I do everything I can to sooth her, standing and bouncing her in my arms. I am relieved to see my wife walk back into the bedroom with the bottle.

My wife and I sit together in our bed and I feed the bottle to Natalie. She looks up at me with her beautiful gray eyes, just like mine, and stares at me while she sucks on the nipple, until she is sleepy and can't keep her eyes open anymore. She closes them, but keeps sucking on the nipple until the bottle is empty. Is it weird that I enjoy the sound of her breathing and sucking while she's eating? It is so calming. Even with all of the shit that is going on right now, I am able to feel a wave a peace run through me. There is definitely something about babies.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Despite the good feeling of peace that I've felt earlier, I sit wide awake in my bed, mostly with Ana's head in my lap. One am… Two am… Three am… Four am… Five am… and just like clockwork my daughter woke up for her one o'clock and four o'clock feedings. At six o'clock I give up and slip out of bed, careful not to wake Ana. It's been a while since I stayed awake all night. The last time I did this was the night before we sent Phoebe to Florida with my parents. I was so worried about her, that she was shutting down and emotionally checking out. What if that happens again? What if this latest violent punishment administered by her headmaster sends her to that place again, where we can't touch her or engage her in conversation. No! That can't happen. We will get her through this.

Before I know it I am standing outside of Phoebe's bedroom. I need to see her, make sure she is okay. Well, I know she is not okay, but I want to see if she is sleeping. I quietly open her door and my eyes immediately are fixed on her bed. She's not in it. I look up and I find her right away, standing in front of the mirror. She doesn't notice me right away. She is facing the mirror and her head is down, her hair hanging in her face, she is looking at her hands which are playing with the hem of her nightgown. I know she is thinking about looking at herself. She can't. I need to stop her.

"Don't" I say softly, but loud enough for her to hear me.

I immediately feel guilty when I see her turn around sharply and wince. I've startled her, and the sudden movement caused her pain.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Once again my voice is soft. I keep my eyes on her, even though each and every second I look at her breaks my heart more and more. "I didn't expect you to be up. What are you doing?"

She is reluctant to answer me, probably even embarrassed. After a few seconds she speaks. "I wanna see"

I am right, she wants to see the bruises, but that probably isn't the best idea right now. I shake my head at her. "No you don't, otherwise you would have looked already." I go with that, and it works. She looks down and away from me, but not at the mirror and not at her bruises. "Come" I hold out my hand for her to come toward me. She does and she takes my hand. I have her sit on her bed. "Gently." She sits down slowly but winces. My poor baby is still in so much pain. It's very difficult to see. I sit in the chair next to her bed so I am facing her. She is still looking down, and suddenly I think she's crying.

"Baby, what is it?" I ask her.

"I'm sorry." Her voice is so high and emotional. It breaks my heart even more.

I lean forward and put my hands on hers, which are holding onto the bed supporting her weight. "What are you sorry for?"

"I got in trouble in school" she manages to say, her voice still high and emotional.

I reach up and wipe her tears with my thumb. "You have nothing to apologize for." My voice is soft but firm. I do not want her blaming herself for what happened. This happened to her, not the other way around. "I don't want you to worry about any of that right now okay? We can talk about it later. Right now I want to talk about breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

I smile at her, hoping that will lighten her mood. "Yes, breakfast. You didn't get to eat dinner last night, so you know I'm going to want you to eat a solid breakfast. What would you like?"

Phoebe reaches up and dries more of her tears. "Pancakes"

I smile at her again. "Pancakes it is. I'll go ask Mrs Taylor to make a batch for you, okay?" She nods. I stand up, but before I leave the room I cup her face with my hands and kiss her head. "I'll bring them up here so you can eat in your room."

She nods again and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "Thanks Daddy"

As if my heart wasn't already breaking. She calls me Daddy. She only really does that when she's upset or if she knows that I'm upset with her. And she's been calling me that a lot lately. I need to fix this for her, I need to get my happy Phoebe back. But I know I have my work cut out for me. A trip to Florida and an afternoon of sailing is not going to fix this one.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I walk into the kitchen and the first thing I do is open the fridge and fish out the orange juice. I make sure to drink a full glass every morning. I pour myself a glass and put the bottle back in the fridge. When I turn around I see my son sitting at the breakfast bar eating cereal and reading the morning paper. Why is he down here so early? It is only a quarter past six.

"Good Morning Son" I greet him and take a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Good Morning Dad." He doesn't look up at me. He keeps his eyes on the newspaper. My son and his current events. He used to prefer the sports section, comics and puzzles. But now he soaks up as much information as possible about what is happening in the world, including the business world. I'm so proud of him. How have I managed to raise such a fine young man? I'm sure my wife had a lot to do with his successes. She's set a great example for our kids and continues to do so. I am a lucky son of a bitch.

"Why are you up so early?" I ask him.

"I need to get to the library before school starts." He answers me, but his eyes are still glued to the newspaper. Wait a minute, school? I can't let him go to school, not with that prick Braxton still in charge.

"Teddy, you aren't going to school today." I say to him, and I know that this will lead to an argument, especially when I finally see Teddy's eyes look up at me.

"Dad, I have to go to school."

"No, you don't"

Teddy sighs and looks down for a moment, as though he is collecting his thoughts. He looks up at me again. "Is this about what happened to Phoebe?"

"Yes, it is" I say to him. I don't want to fight with him. I need him to understand that this is for his own good, but my kids hate when I say that I am doing things for their own good, so I need to steer away from that. "I don't want you or your sister going back to school until Mr Braxton either steps down or is removed from his position."

"Dad, what happened to Phoebe is horrible, but why do I have to miss school? I'll miss so much that I'll have to make up for. I'll never catch up."

Did I mention how proud I am of my son? I never have to press him to do his homework or study for tests. He just does it. He works so hard. All of my lectures about the importance of education when he was younger really paid off.

He continues to plead his case. "I'm sure by now Mr Braxton knows that he is in trouble with the police. Do you really think he'd be stupid enough to do something to me while he is being investigated?"

My son has a point, he'd make a great lawyer. Not too many people even attempt to stand up to me. Just my wife, and now my son. "I suppose not."

"So, let me go to school. You can even let Sawyer drive me if it will make you feel better."

I'm sold. My son wants to go to school so badly he's willing to let one of my security guards drive him. I decide to cave and let him have what he wants, but with a warning. "Okay, you can go to school, and Sawyer will drive you." I see a smile start to form on his face, probably because it is rare for my kids to win an argument with me. "But…." I raise my finger at him to make a point. "You are not to go anywhere near Mr Braxton, understood? If you do I will ground you for a month."

His smile fades slightly but it is still there. A small and rare victory for him. "Thanks Dad"

I reach over and ruffle his hair, which makes his smile grow wide again. My son has hair just like mine. Copper, smooth and unruly. People often say that he is a mini me. While I smile at the thought of my son inheriting physical qualities from me, I dread the thought of him inheriting other things that I'd rather him not have. I want my son to have the best that life has to offer. I don't want him to be like me. I want him to do well in school, follow his own dreams and have a loving and healthy relationship with a nice girl, someone that looks past the fact that his family has money. I hope he knows that. But, I guess it wouldn't hurt to say the words out loud.

"You know I want what's best for you, right?"

"Yeah, I know that." I watch him as he finishes his cereal and discards his dishes into the sink. "Have a good day Dad, and…. let me know if there's anything I can do to help Phoebe." he says to me before he leaves the kitchen.

"I will, have a good day son."

My son and Mrs Taylor pass each other as he leaves the kitchen. I can tell she feels guilty for not having breakfast for him. How was she supposed to know that my son would be getting up this early? They say goodbye to each other. When she walks into the kitchen I greet her professionally. "Good Morning Mrs Taylor"

"Good Morning Mr Grey. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, for me and for my daughter. And some coffee, please.

"Coming right up"

I reach over for the paper and read through it while I wait for breakfast. I'm relieved to see that there is nothing in the paper about Mr Braxton or what happened to Phoebe at school yesterday. I'm sure the press will get a hold of this at some point since there is an investigation going on. I'm going to have to deal with that. The fact that the story is not in today's paper only buys me some time.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I carry a tray into my daughter's room with pancakes for both of us and some orange juice for her. I also have brought her some water and Advil. When I walk in I see that she is not in her room. I put the tray down on her bed and start to look for her. It doesn't take long because as I walk around her bed I see her walking out of her bathroom. She looks upset. I told her not to look at herself. I guess she couldn't help it.

"Did you look in the mirror?" I ask her, even though I'm pretty sure of the answer.

But I'm wrong, she shakes her head. "No, I couldn't"

I walk over to her and gently put my arms around her. "Why are you crying?" I ask her softly as I rub her back.

"It still hurts" she says. She tries to suppress her crying, but she's never really been good at that. My daughter is a crier. Always has been. She's never been good at hiding the fact that she's upset about something. I continue to rub her back until she calms down and stops crying. When I let go of her I let her know that I've brought her breakfast and some Advil. I lead her over the bed and try to help her sit comfortably. But that is not an easy task. She's in pain, and she will be until the bruises start to heal. The only thing I can do to help her is to provide a distraction whenever I can. Breakfast is a good distraction I suppose. She loves pancakes. I pass her the butter and syrup so she can put them on her pancakes. We eat in silence. I'm glad to see her eat. She must be starving after missing dinner last night. I didn't have the heart to wake her, make her sit up and eat. I assumed if she wanted to eat she would have let me know about it.

"Are you still hungry?" I ask her when she's finished. She shakes her head, and I can tell that she has something troubling on her mind. Since we are both done eating I move the tray away from her bed and give her the Advil and the water. She takes the medicine and drinks some of the water. "What are you thinking about?"

"Do I have to go to school?" she asks me, her voice is so soft and heartbreaking.

"Of course not. I'm not sending you back there until things settle down. I'm going to set you up in their homeschooling program until further notice."

She doesn't seem to like my answer, but lucky for me she doesn't argue. "And Teddy?"

"Teddy wants to go to school, so I let him. Your brother is quite the negotiator" I tell her with a smile, hoping to get a return smile. And I do. She does let a small smile cross her face.

"Yes he is." Her smile fades as she moves onto her next thought. "Dad, Mr Braxton said I did a whole bunch of things, but I didn't..."

I cut her off. "I know, I know you didn't. I don't want you to worry about that right now."

She takes a breath and lets it out, like a weight has been temporarily lifted from her shoulders. "So, what happens now?"

I take her hands in mine while I explain the next steps to her. "Well, Detective Bryce is coming back today, and she's going to ask you some questions. And I need you to answer them honestly. She's already been to Escala to ask Ava questions, and she was very helpful. Then, your Uncle Elliot is going to bring Ava over here to spend a few hours with you while I attend some meetings."

"Ava's not going to school?" she asks me, a big confused look on her face.

"No, your Uncle Elliot doesn't want to send her either until we have things figured out." My daughter still looks confused, but I decide not to say anything else about the subject, not until she's talked to Detective Bryce. I don't want the investigation to be tainted by anything that I tell her. I am saved when my wife walks in with Natalie and her bottle. Is it seven o'clock already?

Ana puts Natalie in my arms so that I can feed her while she gets ready for work. But first Ana sits on the bed to spend a few minutes with Phoebe. She explains to her that she has to go to work, but she won't leave for work until after Detective Bryce leaves. Ana and I agreed that we should both be here for that. It won't be pleasant, but we both want to be here to support our daughter. I look over at my daughter and immediately come up with another distraction for her.

"Here, you are going to feed her."

Before Phoebe can argue I put Natalie in her arms and show her the proper way to hold her and feed her. She does as she's told, but with a shocked look on her face. Ana also has a shocked look on her face. I don't normally trust Teddy or Phoebe to care for Natalie since she is so small, but as long as I am there to supervise I am okay with it. After a few minutes Phoebe starts to relax and smiles at her sister. Ana looks up and smiles at me. Oh how I love that smile. It tells me that I have done something good.

* * *

_**Thank you for all of the continued reviews. I'm glad you are still enjoying the story. I know some of you are concerned that caning is from another era, and that schools have weaned away from corporal punishment, and that it is even illegal for schools to do that now. I'm not sure if it is illegal. I thought some schools out there still did that. I picture Christian sending his kids to a highly expensive school with strict rules. I chose to write that parents had to consent to corporal punishment. I'm sure parents didn't have that option years ago, but I hope that if schools still did this they would require consent from parents. In case you missed it, Christian and Ana clearly did NOT consent.**_

_**I also want to clear the air about my decision to incorporate corporal punishment in my story. I know that another author used corporal punishment and even wrote about it before I did. I would never want to copy, steal from or disrespect another artist in any way, and I'm sorry if it looks like that. I have most of my ideas for this story already mapped out so I know what is going to happen. But it is not possible to write a whole story in one day. I like to take my time and make sure that I read my chapters over and over again before posting. That being said, I try to catch my spelling and grammar mistakes that way but I don't catch all of them. Nobody's perfect.**_

_**If you haven't already, please check out the fanfic "Fifty Shades or More" by Sashadora. It is fantastic and very well written. You won't be disappointed. It will leave you wanting More.**_

_**Happy Reading!**_


	23. Big Investigation

Detective Bryce is questioning Phoebe in the main room. Phoebe is sitting next to her mother, holding her hands and reaching up once in a while to dry her tears. Christian has been pacing behind the couch throughout the entire questioning. He cannot sit still while listening to his daughter as she verbalizes the events of her brutal punishment at the hands of her headmaster. It is too much to take, but he needs to hear it. He needs to be in the room for her, even if he isn't physically sitting next to her to support her. He had decided that Ana is better suited for that right now.

After the questioning is finished, Phoebe takes a deep breath and lets it out. "So what happens now?"

Bryce leans in closer as she explains the next steps in their case. "We get a warrant, and we have Mr Braxton arrested. I believe we have everything we need from you and your cousin Ava, but if there is anything else I will let you know."

"And then?" Phoebe asks, and she has a feeling that this isn't over as easily as she is making it sound.

"Then, there will be a bail hearing, and he might get bail, but this investigation will not look good for his position as headmaster. He'll have to step down from that role."

Phoebe looks down at her hands, which are still being held by her mother's. "Will I have to testify?"

Christian stops his pacing and glares at Detective Bryce. She sees his glare but she ignores him. She looks back at Phoebe. "It's very likely."

"No" Christian says coldly. "You will do everything you can to stop that from happening."

"Christian" Ana scolds, but he continues to glare in Bryce's direction. "How can we avoid a trial?" she asks.

"He would have to plead guilty at his bail hearing" Bryce explains. "And if he doesn't, there will be a trial."

"What about a plea bargain?" Christian asks, his hands on his hips and his voice a little less cold. He even sounds slightly desperate, desperate to do anything he can to spare his daughter the trauma of having to testify.

Bryce sighs and looks up at Christian. "The DA will not offer a deal in this case. He has zero tolerance in cases involving violence against children. He's going to want Braxton to serve the maximum sentence, and in order to do that we'll need to go to trial."

Ana looks back at her husband, her desperate eyes meeting his before she turns back and looks at Bryce. "What if Phoebe refuses to testify?"

Bryce tries to soften, but there is no gentle way to say this. "She won't have a choice. She will be subpoenaed."

"Mom" Phoebe cries. Ana pulls her daughter's head to her shoulder to comfort her.

"It's okay Sweetheart."

Bryce leans in closer again. "Phoebe, you did a really good job today. I know that wasn't easy for you. And if this does go to trial, the DA and I will help you. We will work with you and make sure you are prepared. You aren't going to be alone in this."

"Of course she won't be alone" Christian adds as he walks up behind the couch and puts his hand in Phoebe's hair. He reaches down and kisses the top of her head, which is still leaning on Ana's shoulder. "We will be here for you too." He stands there for a moment and rubs his hand through her hair. "Detective, can I have a word?"

Bryce stands and walks over to Christian. They walk away from the couch so they are out of earshot. Bryce speaks up before Christian has a chance to open his mouth. "I need you to let me do my job, Mr Grey. If you want justice for your daughter, this is the way this needs to work. No more taking the law into your own hands."

Christian rubs the back of his head with his hand. He knows what she is talking about, but he doesn't let on. "What are you talking about?"

Bryce isn't fooled, she looks right into his eyes. She is not intimidated by him. "Yesterday you suggested we check the school's computer records for suspicious activity in our daughter's file, but you already knew that we would find something."

"So, what did you find?"

"There was suspicious activity. We know that a substantial amount of changes were made very recently, and we were able to narrow it down to the person's account that was used to make those changes."

"Who?" Christian is impressed, not just by her not being intimidated, but that the police were able to pinpoint the account used to make the changes.

"I'm sorry Mr Grey, but I can't tell you that. You need to let the police handle this. But, I can tell you that your niece gave my partner the names of all the girls that witnessed your daughter's fight with Miss Wilson." Bryce explains to Christian that she and her partner visited each girl yesterday and questioned them with their parents present. They explained to each girl that it is a serious crime to lie to the police. There were six girls, and only one girl told a different story. Her name is Kelly Larson.

Bryce leaves out the fact that the account that was used to make changes to Phoebe's file belongs to Kelly's mother. Mrs Larson is a teacher at the school. Bryce believes that Rachel and Kelly broke into the school to access the account and make the changes. They are actively working on obtaining a search warrant so that the can view surveillance videos to prove their theory.

"When will he be arrested?" Christian asks, referring to Mr Braxton.

"My partner is getting the arrest warrant now. We plan to arrest him after school, that way less students will be present. I suggest you and your family stay far away from that scene."

Bryce walks back over to Phoebe and sits in front of her, which angers Christian. _Did I say she could walk away from me?_ She pulls out her business card and gives it to Phoebe. "Here, take this. It has my number on it. Call me anytime you remember something else or if you just want to talk, even if it is in the middle of the night, I won't mind."

Phoebe takes the card and looks at it. "Thank you"

Ana stands to show Bryce out. Christian takes her seat next to Phoebe and puts his arm around her. "You did good. I'm proud of you." He pulls her closer and kisses her head again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few hours later, Elliot and Ava arrive and join the family in the main room. Ava is wearing a casual sundress and flat flip flops, while her cousin is dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. She immediately rushes to Phoebe and gives her a hug. "Ava, easy" Elliot scolds. The adults watch as the girls embrace. The last time Ava saw her cousin was at the school right after her punishment. She's spent the last twenty four hours worrying about her cousin.

Elliot greets his brother with a handshake and his sister-in-law with a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for doing this" Christian says, referring to him spending the afternoon with Phoebe while Ana works and he attends meetings.

"It's no problem. They can kick my ass at The Hunger Games Trivia anytime they want. As long as it makes them happy."

Christian looks over at the girls again. They are talking quietly so they can't be heard. "Ava, can I see you in the kitchen please?" Christian asks his niece. She suppresses a gulp and follows him to the kitchen.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Would you like something to drink?" Christian asks his niece once they are both in the kitchen.

Ava is nervous. She knows that her uncle is not happy with her, and she knows that he probably asked her into the kitchen so that he can lay into her. "No thanks"

Even though Ava refused a drink, Christian pulls out a bottled water from the refrigerator and puts it on the breakfast bar for her. His expression is unreadable. "Do you know why I asked you in here?" he asks her as he takes a sip of his own water.

She looks at him nervously. Ava is so strong and spirited, but she's always been intimidated by her uncle. She doesn't spend a lot of time alone with him. In fact, she has to think hard to remember the last time she was alone with him. It was when she was about nine years old and fell and cut her knee open while roller blading. She was spending the weekend with her Aunt and Uncle, and he had brought her into the house to clean her up and calm her down. She doesn't get to see that gentle side of him very often. She shrugs her shoulders, a very un-Ava like thing to do. "Because of the article?" she finally answers him.

Christian looks down for a moment. "Yeah, I wasn't too happy about seeing my daughter on the cover of a tabloid. But I can't blame you for that. I know you didn't mean for that to happen." Ava looks up at her uncle, confusion written all over her face. _He doesn't blame me? Since when?_ He looks up at her and continues. "You've always looked out for your cousin, and I've always appreciated that. I know you were looking out for her that day, and I know you tried to help her yesterday." Ava cannot believe what she is hearing. She keeps her mouth shut, another un-Ava like thing to do, and continues to listen. "Your Aunt and I were very nervous about sending her The Maynard School, with her shy and gentle nature. We were afraid the kids would walk all over her. The only reason we agreed was because we knew you would be there with her, and destroy anyone that messes with your cousin." Ava has a small smile cross her face. Of course she would do that. But she tried to do that yesterday and failed. The thought of that makes her smile fade.

"Of course I would" she says softly.

Christian moves on to his next topic of discussion. He wants to make sure his niece is alright. "I know that what you saw yesterday was…. disturbing, to say the least. I hate that you had to see that, and I hate that my daughter had to be any part of that."

Ava starts to tear up. It _was_ disturbing, even for someone as strong as she is. "I tried to stop those girls. And I should have stopped Mr Braxton." Her voice is starting to tremble and she reaches up to dry a tear that has escaped from her eye. Christian takes a few steps closer, puts his arms around her and holds her for a moment. She wraps her arms around him too and allows more tears to fall. He kisses her hair and pulls out of the embrace so that he can look down at her.

"No, you couldn't have stopped Mr Braxton. If you have, he probably would have punished you too." She starts to calm down and tries to compose herself. She hates crying. Christian can't help but wonder. "Has he ever punished you?"

Ava shakes her head, and he knows that she is telling the truth. Why would she lie about it now? He picks up her bottled water, removes the cap and puts the bottle in her hand. She drinks some of it. "Are you alright?" he asks her. And she nods, feeling a little embarrassed that she cried. But she feels slightly better when he rubs his hand through her hair.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is walking through downtown Seattle with Taylor. He had just finished with his business meeting that he had to postpone yesterday. He is glad that meeting is over with, but his next meeting isn't going to be too pleasant for him either. He is meeting with one of his ex-submissives, Jasmine Sutter. He hasn't seen her in over twenty years, even though both of them have remained in Seattle and she owns a boutique down town called "Sutter's Closet". She had opened the store fresh out of college using money she inherited from her grandparents. While she was with Christian, he had offered to help her expand, but she wasn't interested. She liked having a small store to own and manage on her own. But she wanted more from him, so he had to let her go to find more with someone else. _Why did it have to come in the form of fucker Braxton?_

Christian walks into the store and removes his sunglasses, while Taylor waits outside for him. He walks through the store and sees numerous customers checking out the latest style of clothing. He continues to walk through the store until he sees her. She is holding up one of the shirts she designed and is talking to one of her employees about it. She is wearing reading glasses and her brown hair is half up, half down and hanging neatly over her shoulders. She is wearing a black tight dress which compliments her tiny frame. _She hasn't changed a bit._

He stares at her until she notices him. When she does he can tell that her heart skips a beat. He still has that effect on her. She passes the shirt to her employee and walks toward him. "Mr Grey, how can I help you?" she asks him in a professional matter.

"Miss Sutter, a pleasure to see you again" Christian says politely, earning him a glare from her.

"It's Mrs Braxton now. I've married" she says as she holds up her left hand to reveal a flattering wedding band.

"Congratulations" Christian says, even though he doesn't mean it. He needs to be alone with her so that they can talk privately. He needs to get her to trust him. "Mrs Braxton, I was hoping to have a word with you in private. May I buy you a cup of coffee?"

Jasmine is taken by surprise. _What can he possibly want? Certainly not sex. He's married. I'm married. Oh, but he's so gorgeous. Those eyes, that hair, that smile, I've never been able to resist him._

"Mrs Braxton?" he interrupts her thoughts. "May I buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Sure, um, just give me one second" she says to him as she holds up one finger. She walks back to her employee to let her know that she is stepping out for a few minutes. Her employee looks up and gawks at Christian. _She can't be any older than eighteen._ He just smiles at her and waits for Jasmine to join him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

We sit at a private table in a nearby coffee house. Jasmine didn't want to venture too far away from her store since there are only two employees working right now during the afternoon rush.

"I see you still have Taylor working for you" she decides to start with. This is definitely awkward. What kind of conversation do you have with an ex-submissive that you haven't seen in over twenty years? I suppose I shouldn't just get to the point of my unexpected visit, otherwise she probably won't be as open with her answers.

"Yes, I do. He's very loyal" I answer her. I lift my coffee mug and take a sip, it is still too hot to drink.

She doesn't drink her coffee yet. She just holds her mug with both hands as she thinks about the next words out of her mouth. "When I read that you have married, I couldn't believe it. I really didn't think you would ever take a wife. You were so anti relationship when we were, well, you know…."

"When we were dominant and submissive?" I ask openly, proving to her that I am not embarrassed to bring up the subject. "Yeah, I was. But then I met Anastasia. She changed all of that for me."

"And you have kids" she points out, as though she has studied my biography.

"Yes, three, in fact. Can't seem to keep my private life out of the press." I say to her with irritation clear in my voice.

"Comes with the territory" she says. "Would you give it all up, if it meant you could keep your family out of the spotlight?"

Her question takes me by surprise. Would I? I would do anything to keep my family safe, but the wealth keeps them safe. It allows us to have a dependable security system as well as a highly qualified security team. It allows my children to have a great education and positive futures.

"Nobody's ever asked me that" I go with. "I suppose I use the wealth to keep my family safe. So to answer your question, no, I wouldn't give it up. We just have to work harder to keep the paparazzi away. So, you and Harold Braxton, when did that happen?"

I can see her smile giddily, and I almost feel guilty. Does she have any idea what her husband did to my daughter? "We met a few years ago" she tells me. "And we married last year."

"Were you married before?" I ask her, and then regretting it. But I need to know. I thought she would have found someone a long time ago.

"Yes, I was married. I married a few years after you let me go. And we have a daughter. You just saw her with me in the store." That was her daughter. I could see the resemblance. "We divorced a few years ago but he still makes time for our daughter."

"Does Harold treat you well?" I ask her. I need to get the fucking point already so that I can get back to my family. This is the longest conversation I've ever had with any of my submissives.

"He does, why do you ask?"

I lean in close. "Jasmine, do you have any idea what your husband has done?"

She shakes her head, opens her mouth and I can tell she suppresses a chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

I decide to ease up, she clearly has no idea. "Jasmine, did you ever tell your husband about us, about… what we did?"

"What? No of course not." She sounds appalled that I asked. Maybe she really didn't tell him. "I've never told anyone. Why, why are you asking me this?"

I sigh, there isn't an easy way to tell her that her husband is an ass. "Jasmine, your husband physically punished my daughter yesterday at The Maynard School."

She's taken aback, and she gives me a look to show that she isn't surprised. "Yeah, he's the headmaster of the school. And they use corporal punishment. So what?"

So what? Did she really just say that to me? "The school needs consent to corporally punish, and they didn't have my consent" I say to her, even though that's not the worst part.

"There must be some mistake" she shakes her head at me. "My husband wouldn't go against parental consent. And, your daughter must have done something to deserve punishment"

I can't fucking believe her. Is she for real? My palm is twitching, but I need to ignore it. She is not my submissive anymore. "She didn't do anything, Jasmine. Your husband is a fucking sadist!" I try to keep my voice down so the coffee clientele don't hear me.

She looks at me with shock. "Mr Grey, I'm sorry that you're upset about what happened to your daughter. We all want to believe that our children are innocent in everything, but…. maybe your daughter…."

I cut her off by standing and slamming my hands on the table. "My daughter didn't do shit! She was set up, and the result ended up with her being savagely beaten with a paddle _and_ a cane. Your fucking husband is being arrested right now as we speak."

Her eyes are wide and she is silent. I stare at her and wait for her to say something, but she doesn't. She looks away from me and down at her coffee. I guess I don't really expect her to say anything. I sit back down and wait for her to let the information sink in. She still doesn't say anything, so I decide to speak. "So, you wanna tell me again that you didn't tell your husband about us?"

She looks at me, angry and red eyes that have tears threatening. "I said I didn't tell him" she spits out the words. "He knows that we had a relationship over twenty years ago, but that's it. He doesn't know any of the details."

"Are you sure?" I'm not sure why I'm asking this, but I also don't believe that this is a coincidence. Why now, and why my daughter?

"I'm positive. I'm sorry, I don't know why he did this to your daughter." She shakes her head, and now I'm inclined to believe her. Jasmine was one of the good submissives. She never lied to me, and she only exercised disobedience in my presence to get my attention, which of course came in the form of punishment. That was the game back then, but this is clearly not a game. This is her life, and this is her husband. I almost feel sorry for her. I stand and put my hand on her shoulder and wait for her to stop crying. When she does, I wait for her to use the restroom and compose herself. When she is ready I walk her back to her store.


	24. Big Penitence

Christian's POV

This has been one fucked up day, and it isn't over yet. I just want to go to bed with my wife and just forget about all the shit that is going on, even if it means we'll just need to face it all again tomorrow. It's been a while since I've been this agitated. First I had to hear my daughter give that detective her account of what that fucker did to her, and then I had to seek out one of my ex-submissives, who happens to be married to the fucker. I hate thinking about who I was back then. A dominant. A cold hearted sadist who took pleasure in beating little brown haired women. That's not who I am anymore. _Is it?_ My wife and I do enjoy role playing once in a while, but that's different. She's mine, and I'm hers. I was never anyone else's, just Ana's. But seeing Jasmine today has brought it all back, a past that I'd rather leave in the past. I don't have room for that shit in my head. I need to focus on taking care of my family. Taking care of my daughter. She was supposed to come down for dinner, but since she's been upstairs for over forty five minutes I decide to check on her.

I knock on Phoebe's door and open it to see her lying on her bed. She looks upset. She seemed to be in good spirits today while spending the afternoon with my brother and my niece, but that obviously was either an act or just short lived. I slowly walk into the room and sit in the chair next to her bed. Seeing her like this breaks my heart. That's how I know that I have a heart, because it hurts. "I thought you were coming down after your shower" I say to her slowly, but she doesn't answer me. "How's your bottom?" I ask her, even though I know she will feel embarrassed by it.

"It hurts" she says, her voice trembling, but this time she doesn't have tears in her eyes. I guess that's an improvement.

I look over at her bed table and find the arnica cream that I've left for her. I pick it up and show it to her. "Did you rub the cream on your bruises like I told you to?" She doesn't answer me, instead she shakes her head. "Why not?" I try not to make my voice sound too harsh, but I can't help it. _Why won't she use the cream?_

"I'm scared," And then I see the tears, but I try to ignore them.

"Scared, of using the cream? Or scared of testifying?" I ask her. I need to know what she's thinking about.

"Both"

I let out a sigh. Unfortunately my daughter will need to testify if Braxton doesn't plead guilty during his bail hearing tomorrow. Bryce said we will have a few weeks to prepare her and give her the tools and the confidence she needs to get through it. I continue to try and make my voice sound less harsh, but I fail miserably. "Phoebe, it's okay to be scared in front of me, your mother and even Bryce, but you can't show fear when you are on that stand. If you do, Braxton will win."

Phoebe has more tears run down her face. "Let him"

That's it. Now I'm annoyed. She's giving up, and I can't let her. I stand with the cream in my hand, walk around the bed and sit behind her. I lift her pajama pants and start to rub the cream on her bruises, but not as gently as I've been doing it. I know it when she screams out in pain. "Owww"

I stop immediately and feel guilty. She starts to cry into her pillow. What have I done? I'm letting my anger get the best of me, and it's hurting my daughter. "I'm sorry Baby" I say to her softly, and I proceed to apply the cream to her bruises more gently. When I'm finished I lift her shirt to check the bruise on her back. It doesn't look that bad, but I rub some cream on that bruise as well. She is still crying, so I feel inclined to apologize again. I lean over and plant two kisses on her cheek. "Daddy's sorry" I say to her softly. And I mean it. I don't want to further upset her with my fucked up-ness. I need to leave before I cause her more harm. I put the lid back on the cream, stand from the bed and start to leave the room. I'm too agitated to be any good to her right now. She needs Ana. When I get to the door I turn around and look down at her. I can feel my tears coming and my voice trembling. "I'm going to have your mother come and sit with you."

"No, no, please don't leave" she cries, and even though it's uncomfortable for her she sits up. "Please"

How can I argue with that? She's almost hysterical now. I put the cream down on her bed table and sit down next to her. Then I pull her toward me with both arms and hold her tight, allowing her to sob into my chest. I do what I can to comfort her, rubbing her back and kissing her hair. And before I know it, I'm crying too. Even with my daughter here I cannot hold it in any longer. And I don't want to. This is just too much for me to handle. We sit like this for several minutes crying together, until Ana walks into the room to tell us that dinner is ready. I look at my wife's face and can tell that this is not a sight she was expecting to see. She is frozen in her spot. She probably doesn't know what to do. Phoebe looks up at me and finally realizes that I've been crying too.

"Daddy, you're crying?"

I nod and pull her toward me again. I guess this is the moment in my daughter's life where she is to realize that her parents are human.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After dinner I decide to have some quiet time with Natalie. There is something about babies, I don't know what it is, but having her in my arms just does it for me. It calms me down, no matter how shitty my day is going. We are in her nursery and I have already changed her diaper and dressed her into her pajamas. The lights are dim and I am sitting in the glider, feeding her a bottle while rocking her. We also have a mix of soft baby classical music playing on the iPod. I watch her as she drifts off to sleep, her mouth still sucking breast pumped milk through the nipple. The more she drifts the longer she pauses with the feeding. When the bottle is empty I put it aside and clean the milk from her face. She doesn't wake up. She just lies in my arms and sleeps, like all is right with the world. In her world it is, and it should be.

Normally I would put her in her crib and leave her to sleep until her next feeding, but tonight I decide to hold her longer and watch her sleep. This is more for me than it is for her. She doesn't need to be held in order to stay asleep. She's very different than Phoebe was as an infant. Phoebe cried a lot. The three doctors that we consulted all told us it was colic. I held her a lot and she eventually fell asleep. I didn't like that she cried, I felt terrible about it, but it felt good to be there for her and to be the one to calm her. Teddy didn't cry a lot, but when he did he preferred his mother over me. I wonder why that is?

Ana slowly opens the door, causing the bright lights from the hall to evade our daughter's nursery. She quickly moves herself into the nursery and closes the door so that we are left once again with the dim light. She smiles at me, and I return the smile. I think it's time for bed. I stand and walk over to the crib, kissing my daughter's head before lowering her in. Once I see that she is settled I take my wife's hand and lead her out of the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After my wife and I go a few rounds, we lie together in our bed in silence, with the exception of our breathing. Ana's head is resting on my chest and I am staring up at the ceiling. I am gently rubbing my fingers up and down her back, but she can tell that my head is somewhere else. She looks up at me to get my attention.

"What are you thinking about Grey?"

I don't want to answer her, but I know I have to. "The past, who I was, the things I did…."

Ana gives me a concerned look. "Christian, you are not that guy anymore. Why are you torturing yourself?"

_How does she know I am not that guy anymore?_ "How can you be so sure? How do you know that I haven't been just pretending to be what you need?"

Ana sits up and covers her chest with the blanket. "Are you saying that you've been pretending to love me? Pretending to love our children?"

I sit up too. _How can she even think that?_ "I don't have to pretend to love you and our children, because I do. I just don't understand how I can go from Christian, the dominant sadist to Christian, husband and father who is worthy of your love, and who is completely removed from sadism and the obsession to beat little brown haired women."

Ana looks horrified, and even a little ill. "Is that what you felt when you saw Jasmine today? You wanted to hurt her?"

Here we go, we are really going to talk about this now, while we're naked in bed together. There is no getting away from this. I need to somehow verbalize what I am feeling. "Seeing Jasmine brought back feelings from the past that I'd rather leave buried. Not….feelings of wanting to hurt her specifically, and not you specifically." Fuck, this is hard. I can't seem to find the words, and suddenly I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing. "It's hard to explain."

"Try." I look at my wife and she looks desperate.

I let out a big sigh before I continue. "I just felt so disgusted with myself for ever being that person. With the exception of Leila I haven't seen any of the fifteen since we parted ways. But after seeing Jasmine…." I pause as I rub my hands through my hair. "… she's more than some submissive, she's a person with a career and a child, and I had no feelings whatsoever toward her. She was just a thing to play with in my playroom and to look after like some pet. It's appalling. It's not something I'd ever want my kids to know about. But you know about it, and I guess I still can't believe that you are my wife."

I'm not looking at her anymore, and I can feel tears forming in my eyes. For the second time today I am crying. I rarely ever cry. _What is happening to me? _ Ana positions herself so that she is sitting next to me and pulls me toward her so that my head is in her lap. We sit like this in silence as she rubs her hand through my hair. This feels good, a lot better than what I deserve. She's a lot better than what I deserve, but for some reason she is here with me. I still can't for the life of me figure out why. Eventually sleep finds me, and I drift off while my head is still in her lap.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next morning I wake up early and immediately hit the shower. When I shower alone I take about three minutes, but today I am taking longer. I let the warm water pour over my body as my mind wanders. I was one fucked up son of a bitch, and in a way I am still that person, Fifty Shades. How did I get so lucky? I have it all, and not just wealth. I have my wife and my kids, and they are everything to me. Is this Karma? Did this happen to Phoebe because of who I used to be? I really do feel like Phoebe is paying for my sins. I should be the one to pay for my sins, not my child. How do I fix this? My thoughts are interrupted when the shower door opens to reveal my wife. She has already removed her nightgown. She wants to shower with me. I stare at her for a moment to take in the beautiful sight that is my naked wife. Seriously, how did I get so lucky?

Ana doesn't wait for me to grant her permission to join me. She slowly steps in and slides the door shut. God, she is sexy. She doesn't touch me right away. We stand and stare into each other's eyes, blue to gray, as the warm water pours over both of us. She is the first to make a move. She steps closer, slowly puts her arms around my neck and kisses me passionately. I slowly wrap my arms around her and return the kiss, my tongue exploring her mouth and massaging her tongue. This feels good, really good. I slowly run my hands down her body until my hands are on her bottom. Once they are there I take the time to caress and squeeze. Her one hand moves into my hair when I move to trail kisses along her neck and shoulder. I then move to press her against the wall and she promptly lifts her leg and wraps it around me. I find her mouth again with mine as I slowly sink into her. This is what I need. I need my wife, in the shower, in our bed anywhere I can get her. As long as I have this, I can get through anything. This is evident as we both sit on the shower floor feeling sated, while warm water continues to pour over us. The next thing I know I am laughing, but I have no idea why.

"Something amusing you Mr Grey?" she asks me.

"You" I say to her after I lightly tap her nose with my finger. I then move to kiss her nose where my finger just tapped. "Time to get out of the shower Mrs Grey" I say to her, and before she can move I stand with her in my arms. I carry her out of the shower, and now she is the one laughing. God, I love the sound of that.

* * *

_**Thank you for the continued support and reviews. The next chapter will cover the bail hearing as well as Teddy and his girlfriend. I decided to milk this story and include more fallout then I had originally intended, but there will be some Christian and Teddy time coming up soon. Christian will find out what his son has been up to in a way that won't disappoint. Happy Reading! **_


	25. Big Hearing

Christian walks into the kitchen where Teddy is eating his breakfast and reading the newspaper. His spirits are still lifted, after spending some time in the shower with his wife and then some more time in their bed. He knows that sex is merely a distraction from all the bad stuff that is happening, but he welcomes the distraction, no matter how unhealthy it may be to tune the world out during moments of blissful intimacy with his wife only to have to face it all again when the world comes back into focus. He joins his son at the breakfast bar once he pours himself some orange juice. He watches as his son lowers the newspaper and looks up at him. "Braxton's arrest is in the paper" he says as he hands the paper over to his father. Christian takes the paper and starts to skim the article. "They didn't say anything about Phoebe" he adds.

"Good" Christian says tightly as he puts the paper down and drinks the orange juice.

"I guess it's only a matter of time before word gets out that Phoebe is his victim. What are we going to do, Dad?"

Christian lowers his glass and looks up at his son. He can see the desperation in his eyes. The genuine concern he has for his sister is touching. Not to mention the burden his son feels to have to participate in protecting his sister. _We?_ "Son, we don't have to do anything. I don't want you to worry about this, okay?"

"But Dad, I am worried. Phoebe's never going to able to leave this house again once word gets out. The paparazzi will be all over her."

Christian cringes at the thought of his daughter being the topic of media discussion again. It was not too long ago that an article was printed about her being a pregnant teen. But this time will be different. This time he has a bit more control over the situation, since he knows about it before the press does. Unlike the last time, when he had to find out by reading about his daughter in the latest tabloid.

"Teddy, I have people working on this okay? They get paid a generous salary to look out for our family's best interests. They are working diligently to keep the paparazzi at bay. And, if they do get a hold of this information, we'll just have to keep the paparazzi away from Phoebe."

Teddy looks down and shakes his head. He is seventeen years old, almost an adult. Yet, his father still tries to sugarcoat things for him to make it seem like all is right with the world. He hates that his father doesn't give him enough credit. "Dad, that sounds too easy. Can you just be honest with me and tell me how bad this really is?" This time Christian looks down and shakes his head. "Come on Dad, I can handle it. I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to protect me."

Christian looks his son in the eye, but his tone is not reprimanding. There's more concern in his voice than anything. "I will never stop protecting you and your sisters, no matter how old you get. I'm always going to be your father, and that's always going to be my job. So, you are just going to have to live with it, son"

Teddy sighs, although it's nice to have someone look out for him and care about every aspect of his life, he'd like for his father to at least acknowledge that he is almost an adult. Suddenly he feels like that will never happen. He decides to table the conversation. It is getting late and he needs to leave for school. He stands from the table and starts to clear his plate, but Christian grabs his wrist. "Son, I don't want you to be burdened with all of this, okay? I meant what I said. I am going to take care of it. Okay?"

"Yeah Dad, I know." He looks up and sees his mother and Phoebe. Both are wearing robes over their nightgowns. Phoebe manages to smile and he returns the smile. He puts his plate back on the table, walks over to his sister and gives her a hug. Christian turns to see their embrace and also smiles. Teddy lets go and looks down at her. "It's good to see you up and around" he says to her. Ana walks over to the breakfast bar and kisses her husband.

Mrs Taylor joins them and immediately gets back to work. "Good Morning, what would you like for breakfast?"

Christian looks over at his daughter. "Phoebe, what would you like to eat, Baby?"

"Oatmeal, please" she says, and Ana nods. They all decide to have oatmeal for breakfast. Teddy says goodbye to his family and Phoebe joins her parents at the breakfast bar. Before she sits she is welcomed into her father's arms.

"Sleep okay?" he asks her. When she pulls out of his arms she nods. He notes that she seems to be a lot better than she was yesterday, and also notes that he feels slightly better too. He definitely feels a lot less agitated and anxious. He still feels guilty for inflicting his anger on her while trying to take care of her, but when he looks at her face he doesn't see any hint that she is affected by that. In fact, she's never looked at him this way before. He's not sure what to make of her expression as she carefully takes a seat on one of the bar stools. And then he remembers, he cried while he was holding her, and she saw his tears. For the first time ever, she saw him cry. He never wanted to let his kids see him vulnerable. He feels that that shows weakness, regardless of what Flynn says about it building character. Ana leaves the table and starts to prepare a bottle for Natalie while Mrs Taylor serves Christian his coffee and Phoebe a glass of orange juice. "Thank you" he says as she walks away.

"Mom says I don't have to go to the hearing" Phoebe says to her father, and he nods.

"You don't have to go, but your mother and I will be going. And your Aunt Kate and Ava will be coming over to spend time with you while we're out."

Phoebe shakes her head. While she appreciates her family, and even extended family taking care of her, she doesn't want to feel like a burden. "They don't have to do that. I'll be fine here by myself."

Christian smirks. "Peanut, they want to come over. And no, I don't want you to be on your own. Even if we have security here, I think one of us should always be with you. At least until things start to calm down."

"But, you're missing so much work, because of me." Phoebe frowns and looks down at her orange juice.

Christian shakes his head. He doesn't want his daughter to feel guilty. "I don't want you to worry about that. I can get plenty of work done at home, and I have plenty of people working for me to make sure all projects are covered." Phoebe continues to avoid eye contact with him, until he puts his hand on hers to get her attention. "Hey" he says and waits for her to look up at him. "Do not feel guilty about this, okay? You did nothing wrong."

Phoebe's voice starts to get emotional, almost like a cry. "Then why did Mr Braxton do this to me?"

Christian frowns. They haven't really talked about this yet. He quickly composes himself and keeps his hand on hers. "What he did to you was wrong. Even if you did the things he said you did, you did not deserve that punishment. That's why he was arrested. And that is why there is an investigation and a hearing. I don't want you blaming yourself for any of this, understand me?"

Phoebe takes a few breaths and composes herself. She uses her hand that he is not holding to wipe a tear away from her eye. "Why did he do this?"

Christian keeps his hand on hers and shakes his head. "I don't know." He goes with denial, since he's not ready to explain to his daughter that there are sick people in this world, sadists who take pleasure in hurting others. People like him, or like he used to be. People like Braxton. He continues to shake his head. "It's not because of anything you did. Can we just leave it at that for now?"

Phoebe nods and wipes another tear away. Christian lets go of her hand when Mrs Taylor puts two bowls of oatmeal in front of them. Ana has already left the kitchen to feed the baby, so Christian is left to eat alone with his daughter. He tries to think of something else to say to her, anything else to make her understand that she is completely innocent in all of this. He then remembers what Bryce told him about the school computer. He should tell Phoebe about it before she finds out some other way.

"Peanut, there's something you need to know" he starts. Phoebe looks up at him after managing her first spoonful of oatmeal. "Bryce confirmed that someone hacked into the school computer system and changed some things in your file." He soon starts to regret bringing this up when he sees is daughter's expression change. She starts to look ill, and she has stopped eating. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

"Do they know who did it?" she asks him after a few moments of silence.

"Yes" he answers her. "But she wouldn't tell me. But she assured me that when she gets proof they will bring up charges, and the person that did it will have to face consequences."

"Why would somebody do that?" she asks. He is relieved to see her manage another spoonful of oatmeal, but dreading having to discuss this with her further.

"There are some hateful people out there, Peanut. Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt you?" He can see that Phoebe is thinking it over, and then sees her have a light bulb moment. He thinks she will tell him, right then and there, but feels the need to press her when she doesn't say anything. "Tell me" he demands, which makes her jump.

"Rachel. Rachel Wilson."

Christian sighs. He recognizes the name, since Braxton mentioned that Phoebe was in a physical altercation with a Miss Wilson. And then he remembers that Ava told him that a girl named Rachel was picking on Phoebe. "Why didn't you tell me that this Rachel was giving you trouble?" he asks her. His tone has changed and he is angry, which makes Phoebe squirm. She hates when her father is angry.

"I thought I could handle it. I'm sorry" she says, and she almost cries again, which makes Christian soften.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have snapped at you, Peanut. I'm not angry with you, I'm angry that this happened to you" he says to her. He watches her and waits for her to compose herself. She starts to eat her oatmeal again. _She must be really hungry_. "I need to know when someone is picking on you or making trouble for you, so that I can help you make it stop."

"I hate bothering you with stuff like that" she says between spoonfuls of oatmeal.

Christian lets a small smile cross his face. "I don't mind. And it's not a bother. I always want you and Teddy to let me help you with your problems, even if you think they are small." Christian picks up his spoon and eats some more of his oatmeal. They eat in silence until Ana joins them again. She puts Natalie in the bouncy seat and sits at the breakfast bar. Mrs Taylor promptly serves her with oatmeal.

"Thank you" she says and immediately starts eating. "Phoebe, rather than going out shopping tonight I have asked Cindy Preston to come over and go through some online catalogs with us. She's going to help us pick out a dress for you."

Phoebe looks up at her mother and frowns. "We're not going out?"

Christian and Ana look at each other, and then at their daughter. "You want to go out?" she asks her daughter.

Phoebe looks down and plays with the remaining oatmeal in her bowl. "I haven't left the house for two days. I was kind of looking forward to going out tonight."

Ana looks at Christian, and she fears he will immediately crush their daughter's hopes of going out, but he surprises her. "Okay, you can go. I want you to take Sawyer and Collins with you, and I will have Dovis follow you as well. I'll keep Natalie home with me."

Ana and Phoebe can't believe it. They were both so sure he would say no. Phoebe doesn't mind going out with extra security, as long as she gets to go. She finishes her oatmeal, carefully stands from the breakfast bar and walks around to kiss her father on the cheek, followed by a hug. "Thanks Daddy."

Christian smiles and returns the hug with one arm. He's glad he is able to lift her spirits. He knows that Ana and Phoebe will enjoy shopping for a dress for her first masquerade fundraiser. This is something positive the family can look forward too.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are sitting in the court room, waiting for Braxton's case to be called. When it is, they see Braxton stand with his attorney and they listen carefully as the judge proceeds.

"'Would the people read the charges, please" he says.

The ADA is there to represent the people, and they listen as she reads the charges. "Sir, Mr Harold Braxton is charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a minor, and two counts of indecent assault on a minor resulting in physical and emotional bruising."

"How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty, your honor" Mr Braxton's attorney answers for him.

Christian and Ana both sigh, although both of them saw this coming. Christian has had his arm around his wife. He pulls her closer after hearing the not guilty plea. They listen as both parties discuss bail.

"The people request remand, your honor" the ADA says sharply.

"On what grounds?" the defense attorney asks.

"Your honor, Mr Braxton has a sizable bank account at his disposal, it can take him anywhere in the world. He is a huge flight risk, not to mention the risk he is to the other students at his school" the ADA argues.

The defense attorney counters what she is saying. "Your honor, Mr Braxton is a respectable member of this community. He's been the headmaster of The Maynard School for five years and has a wife and stepdaughter living with him in Seattle."

The ADA takes a moment to look around the courtroom. "Your honor, I fail to see the defendant's wife or stepdaughter in the courtroom today."

Christian looks around. She makes a good point. Jasmine did not come to the hearing, and neither did her daughter. He was so focused on the matter at hand, he didn't even think of the possibility of seeing Jasmine today. She should be here, to support her husband. But she's not. _Why isn't she here?_

The next thing he knows, the hammer comes down and the judge makes a decision. "Bail will be set at one hundred thousand dollars. Mr Braxton, you will surrender your passport immediately, you will step down as headmaster of The Maynard School, and you will stay at least one hundred yards away from the student in question as well as her family. If you fail to comply with these rules you will be held in contempt. Next case please."

Christian and Ana rise and immediately walk out. They do not want to see Mr Braxton. Taylor leads them out through the back entrance of the courthouse so they can avoid the press.

"Why wasn't his wife in the courtroom?" Ana asks. Christian shrugs. He wants to find out. He needs to find out. But he decides to put that off. He opens the car door for Ana and slides in after her. Taylor closes their door, climbs in the driver's seat and drives away before anyone from the press spots them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Rebecca lie naked together in her parents' pool house with a blanket draped over them. Her head is on his chest and he is running his fingers up and down her back. She starts to plant kisses on his chest.

"Where do your parents think you are tonight?" he asks her softly, causing her to giggle.

"Study group" she says as she leans up to look at him. She starts to swirl her finger around an area on his chest. "What about yours?"

"Same" he says as he sits up, causing her to sit up and move closer so that she can kiss his neck. "My Dad would have a coronary if he ever caught my sister sneaking around like this. Aren't you worried about your parents finding out?"

She continues to kiss his neck and speaks to him seductively. "No, I'm that good at being bad. They'll never suspect."

Teddy nods in agreement. "You are bad." She leans up so that her nose is as close to his as it can be without touching. "What do you want Rebecca?" he asks, this time his voice is seductive.

"I want you to spank me" she says as she puts her arms around his neck. Teddy has a smile grow across his face, and he slightly blushes. He is still new to this world, but Rebecca isn't. She is very confident in what she wants him to do to her, and she is not afraid. He complies.

"Okay. Lie across my lap." She does as she's told and rests her head on her arms. She waits for him to start, but he hesitates. He looks down at her bare bottom and reluctantly puts his hand on her. Once his hand is there he starts to rub and caress. He does this for a while, but he doesn't spank her. Rebecca is patient, thinking that he is trying to tease her with his reluctance, but then it occurs to her that he's not going to do it. She sits up and positions herself in front of him again, wrapping the blanket around her.

"You're thinking about your sister" she says to him.

"I'm sorry" Teddy says. "I know you want to do this, but my head's just not in it right now."

"It's okay" Rebecca says as she rubs her hand up and down his arm.

"You can't tell anybody, that it was Phoebe. We're trying to keep that out of the press" he explains to her, hoping she understands the importance of keeping this information to herself.

"Of course, I won't tell anyone" she says.

"Thank you." Teddy and Rebecca remain silent. She takes his hand and starts to rub it with her thumb. A thought comes to Teddy's mind, and he knows he needs to ask her. "Has Braxton ever punished you?" He immediately blushes after asking the question, and regrets it when there is silence again.

After a few moments of silence Rebecca answers him. "Yes" she continues to rub his hand with her thumb. He takes her other hand and does the same thing to her. "Freshman year, I left school early one day with my boyfriend at the time. He was a junior and he had a car, so we left school property."

"And you got caught" Teddy confirms.

"Yes, I wasn't very smart back then. I thought I was in love. I was blinded by an older boy taking an interest in me. I would have done anything he wanted."

"He's the one that…. introduced you to this world."

"Yes" she confirms with a fond smile. "I don't regret that at all. But punishment from Braxton…. it was so gross and embarrassing. I got twenty swats with the paddle, but what he did to your sister sounds much worse."

Teddy frowns. "I saw the bruises on her thighs. They looked horrible. I can't imagine….." he doesn't finish his sentence. Instead he covers his eyes with one of his hands.

"Teddy, I know you would never hurt me like that" she tries to assure him. She pulls his hand down so that she can look at his eyes. "Look at me." He looks at her and lets out a breath. "You won't. Spankings and beatings are not synonymous."

"They are when you use an implement" he says, and she shakes her head again.

"We agreed that you would only use your hand until you are more comfortable with this. Teddy, I don't mind waiting. I like what we are doing. I enjoy it. And I thought you did too." She has a sad look on her face, which prompts Teddy to be the assuring one. He reaches up and runs his hand through her dirty blond hair.

"I do enjoy it, very much. All of it. Don't ever doubt that." He cups her face and kisses her lips. "I just need a few days to get this out of my head, then I'll be ready again."

Rebecca manages a smile. "Okay"

Teddy smiles back at her and leans toward her. "Tell you what. This Saturday, you and me, my grandparents' boat house, say…. ten o'clock, while all of the other guests are enjoying cocktails and dancing, I shall spank you then, deal?"

Rebecca's smile grows wider at the threat. "I am going to hold you to that Teddy Grey" she says before she kisses him.


	26. Big Masquerade

Christian's POV

My family is preparing to leave for my parents' house for their annual masquerade fundraiser, Coping Together, which raises money to fund a drug rehab program that helps parents with young children. Teddy and I are pacing around the foyer waiting for Ana and Phoebe. I am wearing Ana's favorite gray tux with the cufflinks she bought for me for a wedding present. I look at my son and note that he looks handsome in his black tux. I had bought it for him since he's old enough to attend more formal events. He also looks nervous. I wonder why that is.

"Son" I draw his attention away from whatever he was thinking about and pull a card out of my wallet. I give it to him and he examines it.

"What is this?"

"This will allow you to bid on a girl to dance with tonight" I explain to him. "You can bid up to ten thousand dollars in the junior auction."

I see a grin grow on his face, and I grin back at him. "Thanks Dad"

I pat him on the back and let him go back to his brooding, as I return to mine. This isn't his first masquerade fundraiser. He's attended this fundraiser with my wife and me for the past two years. This is, however, Phoebe's first year attending. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her, make sure nobody messes with her. I worry about her reaction to the overwhelming crowd she will be amongst tonight, many wealthy men and young men with masks will want to talk to her and dance with her. Sawyer will be coming along just to be near my daughter at all times. I trust Sawyer. He's been looking out for my family for over eighteen years now. But I still worry about my daughter. She hasn't left the house much since that horrific incident at the school. I had allowed her to go shopping with her mother so that she could buy her dress for this evening, but other than that she has stayed in. Today she told me that she's still a bit sore, but she was really looking forward to tonight. I know she would've been crushed if I even suggested that she stay home tonight. I really hope she can put all of the bad stuff out of her mind tonight and have a good time.

I look up and see my wife at the top of the stair case. She is wearing a long purple gown with silver studs. The dress has a long slit up the side and only one shoulder strap. _Hot!_ Her mask is already covering her beautiful face and it is also purple with silver studs outlining the outside if the mask and her eyes. She makes her way down the steps and slowly walks over to me. She is wearing silver strappy sandals with a four inch heel.

"You look stunning" I tell her softly. She moans lightly and kisses me. "Where's Phoebe?" I ask her as I look down at my watch. "We need to get going."

"She's coming. She's putting on her shoes. She's very excited."

I smile down at my wife, temporarily forgetting that our son is in the room. I know I won't be able to get through the night without having her. Sneaking off with my wife during the fundraiser has been the highlight of my night every year. I stare into her eyes as I run my hand through her long brown hair finished with soft curls, and she stares into mine. We are lost in each other until we hear the distinct sound of Phoebe clearing her throat. We both look up at the top of the stair case. My beautiful baby girl starts to walk down the steps. She is wearing a long black dress held up with black and white pearls around her neck, no sleeves. Her dress also has a slit that goes up the front to her knees, and the material at the slit is layered and ruffled. As she gets closer to the bottom of the steps I notice her shoes. They are black strappy sandals with a three inch heel. I'm not pleased with the size of the heel, and I know Ana can tell by my quick change in facial expression. She elbows me and I quickly take my focus off of her shoes. Her mask is silver with black and white pearls outlining the mask and her eyes. I can also tell that she is wearing black eyeliner and mascara, much more than she usually wears. Her hair is pulled up with curls pinned and she has black and white pearls in them. I also notice that she has small silver butterfly clips in her hair. She looks absolutely beautiful. Yes, I will definitely need to keep an eye on her.

"You look beautiful Peanut" I say to her, and I mean it. But the shoes are going to bother me. She's not used to wearing heels like that. I don't want her to fall. "Are you going to be okay wearing those shoes?"

Ana elbows me, but I don't care. I need to ask.

"I'll be fine. I practiced walking around in them yesterday while you were working in your study." She smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back. I missed her smile. This past week has been so miserable for her. The brutal punishment, the police investigation, the pain and embarrassment, the Advil and arnica cream, so many tears, so many times I had to hug her and assure her that everything would be okay again, and tonight she looks like her old self, like none of that shit ever happened. I put my arm around her and pull her toward me.

"Ready to go?" I ask as I look down at her and then at my wife. While we attend the fundraiser, our baby daughter will be staying here with Collins and his wife. "Does Collins have all of his instructions?" I ask Ana, and she nods. I know she is nervous about leaving Natalie, even though we trust Collins and his wife. This is the longest that we'll be both away from her. I put my other arm out for my wife and welcome her into my embrace.

We all look over at Teddy. He is sending a text message on his phone. "Son" I call over to him and immediately get his attention. He drops his phone into his pocket and joins us as we prepare to leave the house together. We walk outside and see that Jason, Gail, Luke and Kevin are waiting for us. We have rented an SUV limousine for my family to ride in with Jason and Gail in the front, while Sawyer and Kevin will follow in the Audi.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When we arrive at my parents' house we are immediately greeted by them in the backyard. There are several tents set up, but all of the tables and chairs are outside with a stage and a dance floor. A photographer is on hand and takes a picture of me, my wife and my kids. My wife and I mingle with some of the guests while more people arrive and find their tables. We find our place card which tells us that we are assigned to table number two. We will sit with our kids, Elliot, Kate, Ava, Mia and Ethan, while my parents will sit at the first table with their colleagues that help them make this event happen every year.

I look over at Phoebe and Ava and beam at the excitement in their faces. To me they are still babies, and here they are at their first formal event. Part of me still feels they are too young for this, but the other part of me is looking forward to sharing this with my daughter, and seeing her reaction to all of this. I enjoy watching her enjoy herself. My wife puts her arms around me and notices that I am staring at our daughter and niece. I can tell she is feeling the same thing I'm feeling. I turn and look down at her, nuzzling my nose against hers. We stand with our arms around each other until my father announces into the microphone that it is time to take are seats for the first course.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After we have our salads and appetizers we sit and wait for the entrée, which will be served after the speeches. This is the part of the evening that I dread. I know that the speeches are important. They remind us why we are here and why this cause is important. I already know why this cause is important. I lived this life when I was a child. Hearing some of these speeches take me back to that time, when all I knew was pain from the bite of the belt and the burn of the cigarette. My birth mother was high on drugs most of the time and didn't take care of me. She didn't protect me from her pimps. My wife knows that this part of the evening is hard for me. She puts her hand on my leg as we listen.

Phoebe is sitting next to me, and next to her is Ava. I get annoyed as I watch Ava whisper something to Phoebe, and Phoebe giggles. I glare at my daughter, and as soon as she notices she stops and her eyes grow wide. She knows this is a warning to stop. All I have to do is look at her like that and she knows she is doing something wrong. We continue to listen to the speeches. There seems to be more speakers each year, which makes this part of the evening longer. I look over at my son, who is seated next to my wife. I know he is texting someone and trying to hide it. I honestly don't blame him. This has to be so boring for my kids, but I won't tolerate disrespect for what this evening represents. I nudge my wife so that she can stop him from texting. She reaches over for his arm and he immediately stops and starts to pay attention. I look over at my daughter and my niece again and they are giggling about something. I reach over and grab my daughter's arm as I lean in closer to her. Ava immediately backs away. I whisper and keep my voice firm. "Stop it now" After a few seconds I let go and slowly lean back in my seat, but I don't take my eyes off of her. She's upset, and she looks like she will cry. I feel bad since Kate, Elliot, Mia and Ethan all have their eyes on her now. I wish they would mind their own business. She looks down at her hands in her lap as the speaker continues. My wife still has her hand on my leg, so I reach down and put my hand on top of hers and rub it with my thumb.

When the speaker is finished, I stand and take my daughter's hand, motioning her to walk with me. I don't want to make a scene, and I want to hurry to be away from the tables before the next speaker starts. I lead her away from the crowd and into one of the tents that is set up for the teenagers to use later on. There are tables and chairs set up and a main table for the desserts and punch bowls. There is also a dance floor. I let go of her hand and stand in front of her. She crosses her arms and avoids eye contact with me, but I know she is crying. I gently put my hand under her chin and tilt her head up to look at me. "What were you and Ava talking about that was so amusing?" I ask her, and she works to move her head away from my hand. I let her. "Tell me" I say to her softly. I don't want to be too hard on her right now.

She shrugs her shoulders. "It was stupid stuff. I don't even remember." _Actually, we were laughing at Teddy texting his girlfriend, but I can't tell him that._

I believe her, but I'm not happy. "Do you understand that it is disrespectful to be laughing during these speeches? Phoebe, they are talking about real life issues, and they are no laughing matter."

"I know" she snaps, but then she lowers her tone. "I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at the speeches."

I soften as I watch her grow more upset. I put my hand on her face below her mask and rub it gently with my thumb as I cock my head to the side. "Why are you crying?" I ask her softly.

"Because you embarrassed me… buy grabbing my arm and scolding me like a five year old. Everyone was staring at me." Her voice is trembling and I know she is about to break. I don't want that. I want her to enjoy herself tonight. I decide not to hug her because I think that will make her cry more. I let go of her face and put my hands in my pockets.

"Don't cry" I tell her softly. "You'll smear your makeup. I'm sorry I embarrassed you."

"I don't believe you. You'll just do it again the next time I do something you don't like."

"Phoebe, I'm your father. I know you are not five years old anymore, but it is still my job to teach you manners and respect. I expect my children to behave a certain way. And when you don't, I need to correct you. I'm a little troubled that you feel bad about being embarrassed, but you don't feel bad about giggling during the speech."

"I want to go home" she says, her voice still trembling. I sigh and take her hand again, leading her over to the chairs so we can sit. We sit so we are facing each other.

"I know you don't mean that. You've wanted to come to a party like this since you were five. I remember when you were little and you got so upset when your mother and I had to leave you and Teddy home to go to these parties. So, we always made sure that we made the next day special. Do you remember what we did?"

"No" she answers me, her voice barely audible.

I smile at the memory that's in my head. "We would get dressed up again, and your mother would dress you up too and put make-up on you, even though you were way too young for it. She would also do your hair real nice and then we would have our own party at home with pretend tea and real pastries, and you invited all of your stuffed animals." I can tell she is still upset with me, but she can't stifle a giggle. "Do you remember?"

She looks up at me and gives me a wry smile. "Teddy used to help me make invitations for our 'guests'"

I chuckle at that. I'm sure Ana had saved some of those invitations. "Now you are old enough to be here, but you need to act maturely and respectfully. I know you can do that. Can we try again?"

She nods, and I have a good feeling about her. I know she feels bad about her behavior at the table, so I decide to drop it. I take her hand so that she stands again, and lead her to the restrooms so she can fix her make-up. I wait for her to come out, and when she does she still looks upset. She walks over to me and stands a foot away from me. "I'm really sorry Daddy. I didn't mean to disrespect you or this cause. I feel really bad about the way I acted."

My heart melts. When I get all fired up and angry I fail to remember just how emotional and sensitive she is. I need her to stop dwelling on this. I need her to put this out of her head and enjoy this evening. I cup her chin and force her to look at me again. "It's okay Peanut. We're here to have a good time. And when the speeches are over you and Ava can giggle and laugh till your heart's content." She nods as I let go of her chin. "Ready to go back to the table?" She nods again, so I tuck her arm inside mine and we walk back to the table together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After we finish dinner I escort my lovely wife over to the dance floor for a dance. The band is playing a song I've never heard of, but it is slow and lovely. I take my wife in my arms and we waltz to the slow melody. Other couples have also joined us on the dance floor, but I don't pay attention. Right now it is about me and my Ana, my beautiful sexy wife. I _will_ steal some time away with her tonight, but not yet. We need to stay close by for when they start the auctions. As the song ends I dip my wife, and she giggles. I hold her there for a few seconds, and then I bring her up and into a kiss as I wrap my arms around her waist, and she wraps her arms around my neck. I feel a tapping on my back and immediately get annoyed. Ana pulls out of the kiss and gets me to turn around to acknowledge our son.

"What is it Teddy?"

He looks like he's dreading what he's about to say, so I immediately grow more annoyed.

"Mr Braxton is here"

_What? What is that fucker doing here? He was told to stay at least one hundred yards away from my family_. "Where is he?" I growl, and my son points in the general direction of where he saw the fucker.

I feel Ana gently grab my arm with both of her hands. "Christian, don't. Let's not spoil this evening." I turn and look down at my wife. _Is she serious?_ "We are all wearing masks, so it's very unlikely that he'll see Phoebe, and even more unlikely she'll see him. We'll tell Sawyer to make sure she doesn't get anywhere near him."

I sigh. She's right. If I see Braxton it will turn ugly. But if he's here, it's very likely that Jasmine is here too. I need to find her. "Okay. Why don't you go talk to Sawyer? There's something I need to do."

She agrees without question, which is very unlike my Ana. But I'm glad. She doesn't need to know that I am going to be looking for Jasmine. I need to find out why she wasn't at the hearing.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After about thirty minutes I find Jasmine. Even though we are all wearing masks it was not that difficult to track her down. She is seated at her assigned table and her daughter is with her, but luckily that fucker Braxton isn't. I am able to convince Jasmine to take a walk with me.

"What do you want?" she asks me. She's annoyed.

"I need to know why you weren't at the hearing" I say, getting right to the point. I can see her eyes and can tell that she doesn't want to tell me. "Please tell me"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't. Not really." There's no point in lying to her. "It just seems odd that you wouldn't be there to support your husband."

"I shouldn't be talking to you."

"Why not?"

"Because, I know that my husband is being investigated because of what he did to your daughter. And I know you are trying to keep that out of the press so I'm not going to say anything."

"Thank you" is all I can say. I'm surprised that she would do anything to help me. But I need her to tell my why she wasn't there. "Please, tell my why you weren't there. You can trust me, Jasmine."

She sighs. Her arms remain crossed. For a moment I feel like I'm not going to get any information out of her, but then she looks up at me with pained eyes. "I found out that he punished my daughter too." _Whoa, what?_ "In fact, he's done it several times. He told her not to say anything to me. But when I explained to her why he was arrested, I knew that something wasn't right. And she told me."

"Did you tell the police?" I ask her, but I don't know why. The words just come out of my mouth.

"No, I can't"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because, I want a divorce. And he won't give me one unless I play nice until the trial is over." _That fucker_. "You don't need my daughter's testimony to get him. His lawyer explained all of the evidence that you have against him, it sounds pretty solid. So please, just let us be."

"That's why you're here tonight, to play nice." She nods in agreement, and I sigh. "That's fucked up"

"I know" she says. "But it's what I need to do. So let me get back to it."

Before I can protest she walks away. But I need to let her go. Jasmine is not my concern anymore. Ana and my kids are my everything. I need to get back to them.

* * *

_**There's a lot more to come with the masquerade fundraiser. This is just the beginning. Happy Reading!**_


	27. Big Auction

Ana's POV

I've been walking around looking for Harold Braxton for the past thirty minutes, with Taylor and Gail just a few steps behind me. I told my husband to stay away from him, knowing that their confrontation could turn physical and land my Fifty in jail. I need to handle this. Honestly, the gall of this man to show up at our family's fundraiser, after being ordered by a judge to stay at least a hundred yards away from our family. I wonder what the repercussions are of violating a court order.

As I wander through the crowd of finely dressed wealthy patrons, I see him. We are all wearing masks, but I know that it's him. I boldly reach up and tap him on the back. He turns around, and I can tell he is scowling. I've obviously interrupted an important conversation, but I don't care.

"Yes, what can I do for you, Miss….."

He doesn't know who I am, but I clear that up for him in a hurry. "Anastasia Grey" I say to him with both confidence and anger in my voice. I never get tired of letting the world know that I am married to Christian Grey. Just saying his name next to mine gives me the confidence I need in any given situation. I can tell that he's at a loss for words, but that doesn't last long.

"Would you excuse me please?" he says to the two guests he was talking to before I interrupted them. I scowl at Harold as they walk away, and then he looks back at me. "Mrs Grey, my apologies. I….."

"Save it" I interrupt him. I don't want to hear anything this piece of filth has to say. I just want him gone. "This event is being hosted by the Grey family on Grey property. You shouldn't be here."

He looks at me with, what? Surprise? Content? Disdain? It's hard to read people with masks covering their faces. I decide not to wait for his response. "You need to leave." And then he laughs. How dare he?"

"Mrs Grey, I have come to donate a generous amount of funds to this cause. I highly doubt that your father-in-law would approve of how you are addressing me."

"Actually, it so happens I do approve." The voice comes from behind me. It is Carrick. Thank goodness, now he can make him leave. Part of me worried that Carrick would not be happy with the way I confronted Harold and told him to leave. After all, it is all for a good cause. But still, this is my family's property, a family he was ordered to stay away from. It is a huge slap in the face and complete disrespect for my daughter for him to show up here. I am relieved to have such a good man as a father-in-law. I watch as Taylor escorts Harold away. Carrick comes up behind me and gently takes hold of my arm. "Are you okay Ana?"

I turn and face him, surprising myself for being able to keep it together in front of Harold, and still being able to do it now. Inside I feel like an emotional wreck. I've had to watch my daughter go through so much pain all week, and I had to be strong for her. Seeing Harold here tonight almost put me over the edge. But I still fight to hold it together. I have to. I can't break, not here. "Yes Carrick, thank you for making him leave."

"Of course. He doesn't belong here, Ana. I don't care how much money he's willing to donate. I care about my granddaughter more"

I smile, although I knew that. Grace and Carrick have been wonderful grandparents, as have my own parents. My kids are very lucky to have so many people care about them. Carrick gives me a hug, and I hug him back. He's always been a gentle, kind soul.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana greets her husband at their table. He is sitting there alone, waiting for her. Before she sits down, she leans over from behind and kisses his neck. He tilts his head to the side to give her better access. After a few kisses she sits down next to him.

"Did you find Jasmine?"

He looks at her, a surprised expression on his face. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you" she says, cupping his chin with one hand. He reaches over and rests his hand on her thigh. "So, did she tell you why she wasn't at the hearing?"

"Yes" he says, but he doesn't elaborate right away. He's looking down at his hand on Ana's thigh.

"Are you going to tell me?"

His eyes meet hers after a few seconds. "She said Braxton punished her daughter too. She only found out recently."

"Oh" is all Ana says. She watches as her husband moves his hand up her leg. She puts her hand on his to stop his attempts at distracting her.

"What's wrong?"

Christian lets out a sigh. "I hate that this happened to Phoebe. I hate that that fucker was able to take pleasure in hurting our child. I just want to…." he trails off as he clenches his fist, the one that is not on his wife's leg.

"Just want to, what?" Ana asks him, concern clear in her voice. He doesn't answer. He looks up and sees that Phoebe is back at their table. He looks at her and manages to suppress his anger.

"Hey Peanut, are you having fun?" She nods and smiles, but Christian can tell that she has something on her mind. "What is it?"

"Ava's trying to get me to participate in the Junior Auction, where guys bid on girls to dance, but I don't want to."

Christian does his best to hide his excitement. _Good, I don't want you to either_. "That's okay. You don't have to. Do you ladies need the restroom?" Ana and Phoebe nod, so Christian stands and escorts both of his girls to the restroom. He feels this is a great distraction. Phoebe won't need to be around for the Junior Auction, and they can stop talking about Braxton.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After the Junior Auction, the teenagers retreat to their tent for dancing and karaoke, while the Big Package Auction beings for the adults. Ava is dancing with a boy named Brad that bid on her, while Teddy is dancing with Rebecca. He bid twenty five thousand dollars to win against another bidder, which is much higher than the ten thousand dollars that his father had allowed him to bid. Christian of course does not know about that yet. Teddy will have to tell him later.

Phoebe is sitting at one of the tables and is asked to dance by another teen. She accepts and he leads her onto the dance floor.

Teddy and Rebecca manage to sneak out without anyone noticing, and they make their way to the boathouse. Teddy was able to get his hands on a key, since he knows that his grandfather keeps it locked. He escorts his girlfriend inside and locks the door behind him. When they reach the second level he closes that door too and turns and stares down at her. They keep their masks on and engage in a staring contest. Teddy is the first to crack, and he lets out a chuckle. "I can't believe we are doing this."

"Believe it" she says as she wraps her arms around his neck. She starts to kiss him, and he returns the kiss as he puts his hands on her hips. "I've been waiting all week for you to spank me" she says to him seductively as she nuzzles her nose with his, and he immediately starts to feel aroused, just by the sound of her voice.

"As you wish" he says to her. "Turn around."

She does as he says and turns so that her back is toward him. He slowly lowers her zipper and helps her out of her dress. After she steps out of it she turns and faces him again, posing with her hand on her hip and allowing him to stare at her in her lacey lingerie.

"I'd say that you would make a perfect model, but I wouldn't want anyone else to be able to look at you this way. Just me."

"Just you" she confirms with a smirk.

"Are you smirking at me?" he asks in amusement.

"Yes"

"Come over here, so I can give you something to smirk about" he says to her, taking her hand and leading her over to the bed in the corner. He sits down and looks up at her. They are both still wearing their masks, but Teddy decides to remove his. "Keep your mask on" says to her, and she nods.

"What are you going to do, Mr Grey?" she asks coyly as she stands before him and runs her hand through his copper hair.

"I'm going to spank you, and then we are going to play." With that, he places her over his lap and waits until she is comfortable. When she is, he starts by running his palm over her bottom. "I like the feel of this lace" he says to her softly. "But you're not going to be needing these."

He removes her panties with both hands and places his palm on her bottom again, caressing and teasing her, but this time she knows he will do it. He is there with her in the moment. They both want this and they are not going to let anything get in their way. After more teasing and caressing, she feels his hand leave, and then come down, hard. She lets out a groan, and anticipates more hard yet delicious slaps to come.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are sitting at their table with Kate, Elliot, Mia and Ethan during the Big Package Auction. Every year has been the same thing. Christian contributes his place in Aspen to the auction for the winner to utilize for one week, and Ana always wins the bid. Christian decides to surprise his wife and switch it up a bit this year. He smirks as he hears his father introduce the next package for the auction, which is his place in Aspen.

"We'll start the bid at ten thousand dollars"

Ana waits for other patrons to place their bid. When the bid is on thirty thousand and almost sold, she shouts "thirty five thousand!"

"Forty thousand!" Christian shouts, and Ana gapes at him.

"Forty five thousand!" she says, not taking her eyes off of her husband.

"Fifty thousand!" Christian shouts, and he cannot keep the amusement out of his face. His family members start to stare at him and Ana, but he doesn't care.

"Fifty five thousand!" Ana shouts, and she is getting annoyed. Christian kisses her mouth as Carrick starts to call it.

"Fifty five thousand dollars going once, going twice…"

"Sixty thousand" Christian shouts after he abruptly stops kissing his wife, but he almost doesn't get all of the words out before Ana shouts over him.

"One hundred thousand dollars" she shouts. She then grabs Christians face and kisses his mouth hard so he cannot pull away from her. She deepens the kiss as she hears Carrick call it again.

"One hundred thousand dollars going once, going twice…."

Ana continues to kiss her husband hard, since she knows that he cannot resist her this way.

"Sold for one hundred thousand dollars!"

Ana pulls out of the kiss, and both she and Christian are breathless. All eyes at the table are still on them. Elliot is getting a kick out of his brother. Kate and Mia however, don't always appreciate their public display of over-affection. "Get a room" Mia snarks.

Christian can only laugh at that. "That's not a bad idea." He leans in and gently kisses his wife this time. "I think we should check on the kids." Christian takes his wife's hand and leads her away from the table. Kate rises and catches up to them.

"Not so fast, Grey. I need a few minutes with my girl"

Before Christian can protest, Kate has her hand in Ana's hand and pulls her in the other direction. Ana shrugs her shoulders at her husband, and then blows him a loving kiss as she is being led away in a hurry. He catches it and smiles, but the smile fades fast. _Damn you Kavanagh_. He'd have to wait just a bit longer to have his wife to himself. He decides to pass the time by checking on his kids.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is dancing with a tall, seemingly handsome guy that she doesn't know. She can't see much of his face since they are both wearing masks. He had asked her to dance, and she didn't want to be rude. She knows that Sawyer is watching, so she feels safe knowing that if this guy tries anything he's toast.

"I didn't see you up there on stage during the auction" he says to her.

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "I'm not really into the whole, bidding on me thing. But, you asking me to dance is okay."

They continue to dance, and there is some silence before the boy speaks. "I didn't get your name."

"Phoebe" she says. "What's yours?"

"Caleb, Caleb Braxton." Phoebe freezes, then backs away from him. She feels like she'd just been kicked in the stomach. She's not sure what to do.

"Are you alright" he asks her.

"Your last name is Braxton? As in…. Braxton the headmaster of Maynard?"

"Yes" he says softly, and the regret can be heard in his voice.

"You stay away from me" she says in a panic, and Sawyer is immediately at her side.

"What's wrong Sweetheart? Sawyer asks her, but she's at a loss for words. Surprisingly, Caleb has not walked away, not even at the site of Phoebe's bodyguard. But he starts to feel more tense when he sees someone else come to her defense.

"Peanut"

Christian is also there at her side. He looks over at Caleb and then back at Sawyer. "What's going on?"

"Sir, this is Caleb Braxton" Sawyer says as he regards the teen.

_Braxton?_ Christian shoots the teen a glare. "You stay away from my daughter" he says low enough so that the other kids in the tent do not hear him. He gently takes Phoebe's arm and leads her to the other side of the dance floor. His mood immediately changes as he takes her in his arms and starts to dance with her. "Are you alright?" he asks her softly.

"I'm fine" she says. "Thank you"

Christian positions her arms and shows her the proper way to waltz. After a few seconds he gives her a fond smile. "You're a natural."

"Shouldn't you be dancing with Mom? Where is she?"

"She's off with your Aunt Kate somewhere. Why, you don't want to dance with me?" He feigns being hurt.

"Of course I want to." She looks over and can see Caleb on the other side of the room. She then looks up at her father again. "Thank you for being a man in my life that I can always count on."

Christian kisses the top of her head. "Always, Peanut. Always." They continue to dance, and as she gets better at it he surprises her by twirling her. He smiles as he watches her enjoy herself. This is what he's wanted for her all night, for her to relax and have fun. He can finally see that in her at this moment. After some dancing Christian looks around and notices that he doesn't see his son. "Where's Teddy?"

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. She really doesn't know where he is, but she is sure that he is with Rebecca. "I don't know. Restroom maybe?"

Christian decides that it is his queue to leave when they announce that it is time for karaoke. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. Thanks Dad." He kisses her head again and leaves to find his wife.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana finally have a moment to themselves. Nobody to interrupt them. Ana has already called Collins to check on Natalie, and she knows that Christian has checked on the kids. She decided to skip the Dance Auction in favor of spending time with her husband. She is looking forward to uninterrupted Christian and Ana time. They hastily make their way to the boathouse hand and hand, and Christian has to let go to fish the keys out of his pockets and open the door. Once the door is open he turns and looks down with his wife, a smile crosses his face that nearly reaches his ears. "Ready?" he asks her.

She nods, and he takes her hand and leads her to the second floor. They open the door and their mood immediately changes when their eyes are fixed on the bed in the corner. They were hot and ready for some kinky fuckery in their parents' boathouse, a tradition they have carried out every year since they've been together. Even after nineteen years the excitement is still there, the thrill of sneaking away to have sex, like they were teenagers. But now they have walked in on real teenagers, having sex. But more importantly, _their_ teenager.

_Fuck!_


	28. Big Bust

The teenagers are enjoying desserts, punch and some karaoke in their tent while the adult dance auction is still taking place outside. Phoebe sees Caleb sitting alone at a nearby table. She thinks back to when she was dancing with him. She wasn't afraid of him. He didn't make a move to kiss her or pull her closer while they were dancing. He seemed like a gentleman. Everything was fine until she learned his name. She continues to stare at him from where she stands with Ava and Brad. Brad has his arm around Ava and they are laughing at the group of kids currently singing "I Will Survive", oblivious to the fact that Phoebe starts to walk away from them. She slowly walks toward Caleb. She has to know more about him, why he asked her to dance, and why he is still here.

"May I sit?" she asks him.

Caleb looks up at her with shock and surprise. She is still wearing her mask, but he has removed his. He nods and watches as Phoebe takes a seat next to him.

"I'm sorry I freaked out" she says to him.

"It's okay" he shrugs. "You don't like my father. I don't like him either."

This surprises Phoebe. He doesn't like his father. "Why not?"

"He's not really my father. My mother thought he was when I was born, but when I was about three they found out that he wasn't. And he left."

Phoebe is speechless. She's not sure what to say to this. She looks down at her hands in her lap as he continues.

"I don't have a relationship with Mr Braxton. I have never had so much as a conversation with him."

"Then why did you keep his name?" she asks, and then she regrets it. _This is none of my business_. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No it's cool. I kept his name because my mother did too. She receives alimony and child support from him every month. I guess he felt…. obligated, I'm not really sure what that's about. She never remarried, but she's been with the same guy for ten years. She told me that she doesn't want another marriage."

Phoebe shakes her head as she processes the information. "So, you have no idea what is going on with Braxton right now."

Caleb sighs. "Yeah, I know. I read the papers. Mom told me he used excessive force in punishing one of his students." Phoebe feels a sense of relief, not only because he is not actually linked to Mr Braxton, but also because he has no idea that _she_ is that student. "As soon as I turn eighteen I am changing my name." Phoebe offers a soft smile, and he is able to return it. "Not too long ago you couldn't stand the sight of me. You allowed your bodyguard and your father to save you from me. Why are you talking to me?"

"I don't know" Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "I saw you sitting here and I guess I was curious. Besides, I believe everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"Is that right?" he smiles at her again.

"Why haven't I seen you around school?" she asks him, hoping to learn more about him.

"I don't attend The Maynard School. Actually, I received my high school diploma when I was fifteen and I'm currently taking college courses in business law."

Phoebe raises an eyebrow. _College?_ "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen. I've buried myself in school work, hoping to finish my education early and get an early start in life. But, because of that my social life has been very limited. I don't have many friends, but I was hoping to change that tonight."

Phoebe looks into his eyes. He seems so genuine and so open. She also sees something else. Loneliness, sadness and longing. For what? A friend? A girlfriend? Her? "You were hoping to change that with me?"

Phoebe blushes as she says it, and Caleb can't help but smile at her again. "Is that so bad?"

"No" she responds. It really isn't. Even if he were the son of the creep that beat and humiliated her, Caleb has no control over what Mr Braxton did to her. Not only that, he has no idea _what_ Mr Braxton has done to her. She decides to keep it that way.

"Tell me something about you." he says to her, which makes her tense up. Words fail her as she looks at his face. What can she possibly say about herself that will keep his interest? _I'm not that interesting_.

"Well, I do attend The Maynard School. I'm a freshman. I play piano, and I recently started taking ballet." _There, see, not that interesting_.

"Ballet? That's cool." He says with a smile. They continue to chat about the books that they like and vacation spots that they have visited. Phoebe starts to relax and enjoy herself. She even forgets that she is under the watchful eye of Sawyer. He's been keeping a good distance and allowing her space, but he'll be ready to pounce at any sign of trouble.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Rebecca continue to enjoy each other on the second floor of the boathouse. She is lying on the bed in the corner with her hands tied above her head. She is also blindfolded as Teddy works her over with a riding crop. This is his first time using the implement, but he doesn't hold back, much to Rebecca's satisfaction. She had gotten him started, telling him exactly what to do, but now he is on his own, enjoying each and every lick to Rebecca's skin.

"Teddy…. please"

"Please what?" he asks her, teasing her as he runs the riding crop along her skin.

"I want you inside of me"

Teddy obliges and lays the riding crop on the bed next to her. She can hear the sound of him ripping the foil packet open, and moments later she feels him inside of her, gently filling her as he trails kisses along her jaw line.

"Faster Teddy… please" she says breathlessly.

He puts his hands on both sides of her face, even though she is blindfolded and cannot see him. "Patience baby. We have time." He continues to kiss her as he slowly eases in and out of her. Her breathing starts to become more rapid as pleasure fills her, and his breathing starts to match hers. He begins to move faster, and faster, but before they can reach their climax Teddy stops. A horrible feeling has started to come over him.

"Teddy" she says, and he can hear the displeasure in her voice. But he cannot ignore the horrible feeling. He has stopped moving, but he is still inside her. He can hear the door open, and suddenly panic starts to sink in. He looks over to see his parents' shocked faces.

"Mom.. Dad!"

"What?" Rebecca screams in panic.

Teddy quickly pulls a blanket over himself and Rebecca to shield their bodies, while Christian reaches over to cover his wife's eyes. He too looks away from his son and turns his body to face his wife. Ana's mouth is covered with her hands. She cannot believe what she and her husband have just walked in on. Christian is the first to speak.

"Son, put some clothes on. We'll meet you downstairs." With that, he escorts his wife out of the room and down the stairs so that they are outside of the boathouse. He needs air after what he had just witnessed, and he is sure that his wife could use some air as well.

Teddy lets out a breath that he's been holding since the moment he saw his parents. He looks down at his girlfriend, still blindfolded, and breathless. He can also sense the panic in her breathing. He moves quickly to remove her blindfold and untie her wrists.

"Fuck, Teddy, your parents? "

"I know, I'm sorry" he says as he puts his hand on his forehead. Rebecca remains horizontal on the bed as they both work to calm their nerves.

"What does this mean? What happens now?" she asks him.

"My parents are going to want to know you. My father will probably do a background check…. this is so fucked up." Teddy shakes his head. Nevermind that his parents will be angry with him for keeping his relationship a secret, but he's not the only person he's worried about. He's worried about Rebecca, and what this means for her. She'll be subjected to a background check and extensive questioning by his parents. He never wanted that for her. He wanted to have a relationship with her without the burden of their families' wealth and overprotection. But all of that is about to change.

"Teddy, what if this is the last time?"

Teddy looks down at her and takes one of her hands in his. He pulls it up to his lips and kisses her palm. "No. Don't say that."

She pulls her hand out of his and caresses his face. "Please, finish, we have to finish. I don't care that your parents are outside. I need you."

Teddy cannot resist. He leans down so that his body is once again covering hers, kissing her from her cheek down to her neck, and once again filling her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are standing outside the boathouse waiting for their son and his friend. Ana is horrified. She hasn't been able to verbalize anything since the moment she saw her son, doing something she feels only adults should be doing. Not her baby. Christian, however, is surprisingly calm. He is standing with his hands in his pockets, watching his wife.

"Are you okay" he finally asks her.

"No, Christian I'm not okay." She finally looks at her husband and notices how he is not panicking. He is not angry. At the moment he is unreadable. "Why aren't you upset about this?"

Christian shrugs his shoulders. "Ana, he's a teenager. How much longer did you expect him to be celibate?"

Ana cannot believe what she is hearing. It suddenly occurs to her that their views on their children having sex are not synonymous. "You approve?"

Christian nods, but his expression remains unreadable. "I would very much prefer that we knew some things about the girl he is fucking, but I don't expect him to wait until he's married."

"Christian, he's a teenager. I don't want him having sex. I especially don't want him tying girls up and abusing them."

Christian's expression is no longer unreadable. He's appalled that his wife would think that about their son. "He's not abusing her, Ana. In the ten seconds we were in the room, did you once hear a hint of protest from that girl?"

Ana stands with her arms crossed across her chest. "No"

"Well, there you have it. As long as it was consensual, our son wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Damn it, Christian. Our son isn't even at the age of consent. And I'm sure that girl isn't either. They're too young to even know about or understand BDSM. God, how does he know about this? Do you think….?"

Christian knows where she is going with this and shakes his head. "No, it's not possible. We were careful, Ana. He never saw us doing any of that, and he's never in our room so he's never seen the implements. He must've learned it from her."

They stay silent for a few seconds, and then are joined by Teddy and Rebecca. They are holding hands and Teddy is standing in front of Rebecca, as if he is shielding her. Christian puts his hands in his pockets again. "Son, why don't you introduce us to your friend?"

Teddy hesitates. He wonders how his father could be so calm right now, as if he didn't walk in on them having sex. "This is Rebecca. Rebecca, these are my parents."

Ana tries to be civil and hides her discontent. "Hi Rebecca"

"Nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Grey. I should get back to my family."

Teddy hesitates again before he leans over and kisses his girlfriend. She leaves go of his hand and scurries back to the party.

Teddy mirrors his father and puts his hands in his pockets. He's not sure what to say to them, so he waits for them to speak.

"Does Rebecca have a last name?" Christian asks, and Teddy knows exactly where his father is going with this. _Background check_

"Dad, do you really need to run a background check on her?"

"Yes Son, I do. Last name" he says, his voice is more demanding this time.

Teddy sighs. "Lincoln. Rebecca Lincoln"

Christian and Ana start to feel panic and immediately make eye contact with each other. Teddy doesn't notice their exchange because he is looking over at the party, which is a good distance away from them. He can still see Rebecca walking toward the party. Christian fishes his blackberry out of his pocket and makes a call. "Welch, I need a background check, Rebecca Lincoln." He turns his back so Ana and Teddy cannot hear his next instruction to Welch. "Find out if she is connected to Elena Lincoln."

"Happy?" Teddy dares to ask.

"Ecstatic" Christian answers as he drops his blackberry into his pocket.

"We should get back to the party" Ana says, her arms still crossed. She turns and starts to walk, leaving father and son standing a few feet away from the boathouse.

An unpleasant yet amusing thought comes to Teddy's mind. "So Dad, what were you and Mom doing out here in the boathouse?"

Christian smirks and slaps his hand on his son's shoulder, motioning him to start walking. Christian is also amused as thoughts of his impending activities with his wife come to mind. Teddy is chuckling as they walk back to the party. Sure, he was busted, but so were his parents.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back in the teenager tent, Phoebe and Caleb are still sitting at the table making pleasantries. They have visited the dessert table together and brought back a plate of cookies to share and some punch. Phoebe is enjoying the real fruit that's been soaking in the punch while Caleb eats most of the cookies. They both have smiles on their faces as they talk and get to know each other. Phoebe thinks back to a conversation she had with her father in Florida. He had told her that she'll know a boy is genuine when he takes the time to get to know her, and not continue to stare at her body in her presence. Caleb is doing exactly that. He's been making eye contact with her throughout the night. He's been asking her questions, and answering hers without holding anything back. They are interrupted when his phone vibrates. He picks it up and reads a text message from his mother.

"It's my mother. She and Daniel are ready to leave."

"Oh" Phoebe frowns.

"Give me your phone" he says to her with a smile, and she hands it over.

"What are you doing?" she asks, and then she sees his phone vibrate again.

"There. Now you have my phone number and I have yours. Will it be alright if I call you sometime?"

Phoebe smiles, but she doesn't get a chance to answer him. Sawyer had seen Caleb take her phone and that raised an alarm with him. "Miss Grey" he addresses her. She turns and looks up at him.

"Grey?" Caleb asks, surprised since he had no idea that was her last name.

"Yeah" she confirms as she turns and looks at him again, regret clearly written on her face. "Phoebe Grey"

Caleb is at a loss for words. He danced with Phoebe Grey, and he's been talking to her for almost an hour, and didn't even realize she was a Grey. This is her grandparents' party. He is able to compose himself quickly. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've been talking to you for the past hour and didn't even know your last name."

Phoebe nods and looks down, breaking eye contact with him. Sawyer is still standing next to her, so Caleb resists the urge to kiss her good night. He doesn't want to press his luck. He stands and looks at Sawyer before he looks down at Phoebe, and watches her as she stands too. "I had a really good time" he says to her softly. "A lot better than I thought I would. Thank you"

Phoebe is confused. "For what?"

Caleb shrugs his shoulders. "For giving me the benefit of the doubt. Bye Phoebe" he says, but before he walks away he cautiously looks at Sawyer, and then raises Phoebe's hand to his lips. He plants one gentle kiss on the back of her hand before he walks away, leaving her stunned.

She's not alone for long. Ava runs over and grabs her arm. "Come one Phoebe, let's dance." Phoebe allows her cousin to pull her onto the dance floor as the music switches over to techno.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian leads Ana into his childhood bedroom and closes the door behind them, locking it. Ana stands in the middle of the room but doesn't look him in the eye. She is still upset about finding out their son is having sex, and worse, having to walk in on it. She is also upset that her husband seems to be okay with it. She finally looks up at him as he walks over to her with a hungry grin on his face. _Not so fast Grey_.

"Don't be upset" he says to her softly as he cups her face with both hands. "He's growing up, Ana. We need to let him."

Ana softens. She's still amazed that her husband can change her view on things and make her question her own morals. She doesn't want her son to be having sex at his age, but maybe she is overreacting. The tables have definitely turned, since it is usually her husband doing the overreacting. _Why isn't he more upset about this?_

"When we walked in, and saw them, my first thought was what your reaction would be. I was afraid of what you would do."

Christian keeps his hands on Ana's face as he takes in what she had just said to him. "Did you think I was going to punish him for having sex?"

Ana shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. I thought you'd at least be angry. I certainly didn't expect you to be this calm."

Christian sighs and lets go of her face. He places his hands in her hips and kisses her hair. "Calm?" He backs away and looks into his wife's eyes. "I'm not exactly calm. I'm furious Ana, but not about him having sex. I'm angry that he's kept this girl a secret. He's been sneaking around with her, who knows for how long. And now we learn that she could be connected to Elena?"

Ana sighs and puts her arms around his neck. "How long before we find out if they're related?"

Christian looks down at his watch. "Welch should be calling soon." Suddenly, his mood changes from serious to seductive as he smiles his billion dollar smile at her. "In the meantime, I thought we could make the most of our time up here in my old bedroom. I believe I owe you a good hiding Mrs Grey."

Ana's mood changes to mirror her husband's as his words cause a pleasant feeling that can be felt, down there. "Why, whatever for Mr Grey?"

Christian's mouth is an inch away from his wife's, but he doesn't kiss her. "For the overly excessive amount of funds you used to bid on my prize."

"I can afford to bid one hundred thousand dollars on your prize"

"I know, but it doesn't mean you should." He keeps one hand on her hip and reaches up and puts the other on the back of her head, kissing her hard. She opens her mouth and allows him access to explore her mouth. The hand that is on her hip moves to her backside, pressing her into him.

He lets go of her abruptly, and suddenly he's dominant Christian. He removes his mask and throws it down. "Turn around" he demands, and she quickly complies. He quickly removes his bowtie and his shirt. "Keep your mask on." He starts to trail kisses down her neck and her shoulder that is strapless. As he does this he reaches up and slowly unzips her dress all the way down to the top of her buttocks. He continues to kiss her shoulder as he slowly peels the dress down. He then starts to trail kisses down her back until he reaches the top of her buttocks. He lets the dress drop to the floor, stands and lifts her, rather than allow her to step out of it. He doesn't put her back down. Instead he carries her over to the bed and positions her over his lap. "We don't have a lot of time Mrs Grey. I'm going to spank you, and then I'm going to fuck you, hard and fast. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir" she answers him. She wraps her arms around the pillow that is beneath her as Christian starts to caress and squeeze her. And just like that, his hand leaves and comes down hard. She lets out a yelp and embraces the pain and pleasure that a hiding from her husband brings. He continues to squeeze, caress and slap until he himself cannot wait any longer. He flips her over on the bed, stands to remove his shoes, socks, pants and boxers and moves to cover her with his body, trailing kisses down her chest until he reaches her breasts. Ana throws her head back as he sucks and bites her breasts. She fists her hands in his hair, pulling at it. The harder she pulls, the harder he bites. Ana lets out a cry when he bites too hard, and he immediately stops. He changes tact and starts to lick and suck rather than bite.

"What do you want Anastasia?"

"You…. now"

"Tell me"

Ana is breathless "You… inside of me… Sir please"

"My pleasure Mrs Grey. "He pulls her knees up around him and slams into her, hard, causing her to cry out. "Don't stop, please" she says when he pauses. Christian happily complies and slams into her again, and continues until they both find their climax. He pulls his wife up in the sitting position and holds her tight as they work to come down and gain control of their breathing.

Ana rests her head on Christian's shoulder, and suddenly he can feel her shaking. He slowly pulls out of her and reaches up to run his hand up and down her arm, and then realizes that she is sobbing. "Baby, what is it?" She is unable to answer him. He holds her tight and rocks her as she continues to cry. "Ana, Baby, tell me what's wrong, please"

She works to gain her composure and pulls her head away from his shoulder. She reaches up and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry"

Christian cups her chin with one of his hands and tilts her head back so he can see her eyes through her mask. "Don't be sorry. Something's obviously got you pretty upset. Please tell me."

Ana takes a few breaths to calm herself. "This week, what happened to Phoebe, you going to see one of your ex-subs, Braxton showing up here, and now Teddy…and Rebecca, she could be linked to Elena….."

Ana starts to get emotional again. Christian tries to comfort her by holding her and kissing her hair. "It's going to be okay, Ana. We will get Phoebe through this. Braxton's going to get what's coming to him. And Teddy, well, I'll have a talk with him. I'll make sure his head is in the right place with all of this."

Ana starts to relax and sits up to look at her husband. "Yes, you need to talk to him. But, what about Elena?"

Christian frowns and runs his hand through her long brown hair. "I don't want Teddy to know about Elena. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do about that." They sit and stare at each other in silence as Christian continues to run his hand through her hair. They both jump when his phone rings. He rushes off the bed and over to his pants to retrieve his phone, knowing that it is Welch. "Welch, what did you find out?"

Ana watches as Christian listens to Welch through his phone. It's not every day she gets to see her husband gloriously naked while in CEO mode. _Hot!_ Normally he would let any calls that came during and after sex go to voicemail, but this call was way too important to screen. After Christian is satisfied he nods. "Good, send me the report." He disconnects the call and rejoins his wife on the bed. He shoots her a smile as relief sets in. "Rebecca is not related to Elena."

"She's not?" Ana is surprised. She was so sure that there was a connection.

"Not by blood" he continues. "Rebecca is the daughter of Robert Lincoln, Elena's ex-husband's cousin. They are not in touch."

"Oh" Ana says, worried that that could change at any time.

"That is not going to change" he says to her as he cups her chin again, demonstrating that he can still read her unspoken thoughts. "The families haven't gotten along since before Robert was even born. Robert and Rebecca have never even met Elena."

Ana starts to relax and lets out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. "Do you know Robert?"

"Yes, he once worked at my father's law firm before opening his own. I knew he had a daughter named Apple, but I guess she goes by her middle name Rebecca." Christian shrugs his shoulders, leans over and gently kisses the side of her mouth. "Shall we get decent and go back to the party, Mrs Grey?"

Ana wraps her arms around Christian's neck and nuzzles his nose with hers. "I think I'm going to need a little vanilla before we go back."

"As you wish, Mrs Grey" he says with a big smile. Their noses are still touching as he slowly lowers her onto the bed again.


	29. Big Buzz

Christian and Ana are back at their table with Kate, Elliot, Mia and Ethan. Christian has his arm around his wife and is as close as he possibly could be to her without her sitting in his lap. Both are still sated from their recent activities in his old bedroom, and that is not lost on Kate. She has caught on to the fact that they sneak away every year to have sex. She only has to look at them to know that they've been up to no good. She smiles a knowing smile at Ana, and Ana gives her a quizzical look.

"What?" Ana asks when she can no longer take the looks from her best friend.

"Oh come on" Kate waves a hand at her. "You two are so obvious."

Christian's grip on his wife becomes even tighter. "I have no idea what you're talking about" he says, and then plants a sweet kiss on Ana's cheek.

"Geez get a room" Mia snarks, and Christian only smirks at her. _Already did, but wouldn't mind doing it again._

"That was some bid there Ana. One hundred thousand dollars? You must really want to go to Aspen." Elliot's comment is suggestive, and that is not lost on Ana. She blushes as the rest of the occupants at the Grey table laugh.

"It was for a very good cause" Christian chimes in. When Ana looks over at him he nuzzles his nose with hers.

Grace approaches their table in a near panic, which causes Christian to release his tight grip on his wife. He turns around and looks up at her, and the rest of the table follows suit.

"Mom, what is it?" Elliot asks her.

Grace sighs harshly before she responds. She looks down at her hands that are pressed on the table and supporting her weight. "Somebody laced the punch in the teen tent with GHB."

"What?" Christian shouts as he quickly jumps to his feet, knocking his chair over. Ana also stands but in a manner more graceful than her husband. "Phoebe was drinking the punch" he says, and his anger quickly changes to concern for his daughter. He turns and looks in the general direction of where the teen tent is.

"You better go get her" Grace says, and he takes off before she can finish her sentence.

"I'd better go get Ava" Elliot says as he gives his wife a quick kiss on the lips. He takes off and follows his brother.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian approaches the teen tent with Elliot right behind him. The only lights provided are from a bright blinking spot light on the stage and a disco ball wired and hanging from the ceiling of the tent. The music is very loud and the teens are dancing and singing. Christian pushes his way through the crowd and finds his daughter and his niece. They are both dancing and laughing, but he can tell that his daughter is different. He knows that she was drinking the punch. He takes her arm and leads her away from the crowd and closer to the tent's opening. Elliot takes Ava's hand and they follow.

"Are you alright?" Christian shouts to his daughter since the music is so loud.

"What?" she shouts back, since she can't really hear him. He leads her to the outside of the tent so that they are further away from the music. Elliot and Ava are also outside with them.

"Are you feeling okay?" Christian asks her again.

Phoebe laughs it off. "I'm fine, Dad. We're just dancing. Why'd you pull me outta there?"

Her words are slightly slurred and she cannot keep her balance. Christian holds onto her to stop her from falling over. "Peanut, have you had anything to eat or drink?"

Phoebe scoffs. "Come on Dad, we're at a party. Do we really need to discuss my eating habits now?"

"Yes, we do. Tell me everything you had to eat and drink while you were in the tent." Christian tries to keep his temper in check. This is not her fault, and he knows that, but he needs answers from her and he needs them now.

"I had some fruit and some punch, actually, I ate the fruit that was in the punch. You oughta try some Dad, it's really good." Phoebe laughs and smiles as she says this, so carefree and so innocent.

They listen as Carrick and Grace make an announcement in the tent for the teenagers to find a seat while they contact their parents to come and get them. The responsibility of telling the patrons about the GHB weighs heavily on them. They are concerned for the kids and they are aware that they could be sued for allowing this to happen on their property.

Christian sighs and pulls Phoebe close to him. "Come on, we should get ready to leave."

Phoebe protests and becomes whiny. She tries to pull away from him, but Christian doesn't let her. "No, Dad, you said we can see the fireworks."

Christian stops and looks down at her, and then he looks back at his brother and niece. Elliot shrugs his shoulders at him. While Christian was talking to Phoebe, Ava was telling her father that she didn't drink any punch. Since she and Phoebe were dancing to loud music and blinking lights, she didn't notice anything off with her cousin. She starts to feel guilty for being so oblivious. "Dad, what's wrong with Phoebe? Why is Uncle Christian so freaked out?"

Elliot sighs and watches his brother escort his niece back to their table. "Pumpkin, somebody drugged the punch, and Phoebe drank some of it."

"What?" She is shocked. "Do they know who?"

"No" Elliot puts his arm around his daughter and kisses the top of her head. "Lets go, your Mom is waiting for us back at the table.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The patrons are gathered together to wrap up the evening with a beautiful fireworks display. Christian has his arm around his wife and his daughter and niece are seated on a blanket in front of them. He has agreed to stay for the fireworks as long as Phoebe stays by his side the entire time. He does not want her out of his sight while she has GHB in her system. He wanted nothing more than to call it an evening and take her home, but Ana was able to talk him out of it. Ana looks around for Teddy. "Have you seen Teddy?"

Christian has his eyes on the fireworks. "He's with his girlfriend. Don't worry, Sawyer's keeping an eye on him. I told him to meet us at the car when the fireworks are done."

Ana is surprised with how cool her husband has become since finding their son having sex and then finding out that their daughter has GHB in her system. This is not your typical Grey fundraiser, but drama always has its way of finding their family. She looks up at her husband's profile and studies it. He keeps his eyes on the sky but can feel her eyes on him. His smile grows larger. "Enjoying the view Mrs Grey?"

"Very much so" she answers coyly.

Christian looks down at his wife with the smile still spread on his face. "Are you smirking at me?"

Ana puts her face closer to his and laughs. He kisses her lips tenderly. When the fireworks display is complete the crowd applauds and whistles. Christian reaches down and helps his daughter to her feet. He pulls her to him so that he can help her walk to the car. He reaches his other hand out for his wife, and she takes it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once they are in the car they remove their masks, and Christian and Teddy remove their jackets and ties. Ana snuggles beside Christian and rests her head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around her and kisses her forehead. Taylor and Gail are once again up in the front of the limousine, so it is just the four of them in the back. Phoebe quickly dozes off while Teddy is busy texting on his iPhone. Christian sighs and takes in the events of the past couple of hours. He walked in on his son in an intimate bondage situation with his secret girlfriend. His daughter had an unfortunate run in with Braxton's son, while he confronted his ex-submissive and Ana confronted Braxton. His daughter consumed a beverage laced with GHB. His wife bid one hundred thousand dollars on his property in Aspen, and what a time they had in his old bedroom. That was definitely the highlight of his evening. Now things are calm and quiet with his family as they ride home together in their rented limousine. He looks over at Phoebe and a warm smile grows on his face.

"She looks like an angel." Ana says softly.

"A very buzzed angel." Christian adds.

"What?" Teddy looks up and back and forth between his parents.

"Teddy, it's late" Christian admonishes. "Time to put the phone away."

Teddy snaps his iPhone cover over his phone and puts it away.

"That's better. Now, drape your jacket over your sister so she doesn't get cold."

Teddy does as he's told and covers his sister. "What did you mean by buzzed. Was Phoebe drinking?"

"No" Christian says. "Somebody put GHB in the punch, and not only did Phoebe drink the punch but she also ate the fruit that was soaking in it."

"You must have been freaking out, Dad" Teddy points out.

Christian shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not thrilled that my daughter has an illegal substance in her body, but I'm relieved that we got to her in time." Teddy gives his father a worried look. "She'll be fine, she just needs to sleep it off" he says softly, trying to assure his son. "But don't think just because we need to take care of Phoebe, we are forgetting about what we walked in on tonight."

Teddy starts to sink in his seat, wishing he can disappear from this conversation. It was only a matter of time before his father brought this up.

"When did you meet this girl?" Christian asks. He keeps his voice soft since it is late and Phoebe is asleep.

"Last fall. I met her at school."

"When did you start having sex?" Christian pushes for more information, but he still keeps his voice soft. Ana just listens. She is too tired to have this conversation now, but she fights sleep so that she can listen.

"Only a few months ago. She broke up with her boyfriend, and then we got together. We got to know each other, and one thing led to another….. this is private, Dad. Why are you asking me?"

"Son, you kept your girlfriend a secret from us. Now, is it because you were ashamed of what you were doing, or because you were ashamed of us?" Christian's tone isn't as soft anymore. He struggles to keep his temper in check. He hates secrets, and lately it seems like he's learning more and more of his kids' secrets as the weeks go by.

"I'm not ashamed of you. "I love you guys. I just wanted to avoid the whole thing with the background check and Grey inquisition. I didn't want to subject her to all of that and our security."

Taylor pulls the limousine up the long drive way to their home. "This isn't over" Christian says when he realizes they are home. "You and I are going hiking tomorrow and we are going to discuss this further." Teddy nods, he knew as much. He knows his father will dig and press for information until he is satisfied that he knows everything.

When the car stops Teddy reaches over to shake Phoebe's shoulder, but Christian stops him. "No, it's okay, I'm going to carry her in."

Ana sits up and collects Christian's and Teddy's jackets. When they climb out of the car Christian cradles Phoebe in his arms and lifts her out. She doesn't wake up. They all sleepily walk into the house with Jason, Gail, Luke and Kevin behind them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian carries Phoebe into her bedroom and lays her down on her bed. She starts to wake up as he removes her shoes. He can tell that her head hurts. She moans and immediately grabs her head and covers her eyes to hide them from the dim light in her room.

After her shoes are off Christian stands and retrieves a night gown for Phoebe from her closet. He sits on the bed behind her after she sits up on her own. "What happened? I fell asleep?" she asks sleepily as she holds her head.

He keeps his spot on the bed behind her and helps her change into her nightgown since she is in no shape to do it herself. "You were out the minute Taylor pulled out of your grandparents' driveway"

"Oh, sorry"

"It's okay." He tosses the dress onto her chair and starts to take the pins and clips out of her hair. "When you were little, you used to pretend to be asleep in the car so I would have to carry you in."

"If you knew I was pretending, why did you play along?" Phoebe does her best to hide the fact that her pride is hurt. Of course he knew she was pretending.

"Phoebe, I enjoy taking care of my family. I've enjoyed the overnight feedings and changings when you were babies, the baths and bedtime stories when you were little. Helping with homework, tucking you in at night, drying your tears and making you laugh. I'll never grow tired of it. As far as you _pretending_, I didn't mind it as much because it meant that I got to hold you in my arms."

Christian continues to remove the pins from her hair, careful not to pull at her hair. "Dad, why did you cry?" she asks in a sleepy tone. Christian is frozen in his spot as he contemplates his answer. He starts to remove some more pins but he doesn't answer. "The other night in my room" she continues.

"Well, same reasons you cry. I was upset about what happened to you. And it hurt to see you in pain. A man can only take so much, Baby." After he removes the last pin her hair falls in hairspray laced curls. "Come into the bathroom and I'll help you wash your face." Just like that, the conversation is over.

After Christian helps her remove her make-up, he leads her to her bed and tucks her in. "Sleep well Peanut" he says to her softly, but she is out the minute her head hits the pillow. He plants a kiss on her forehead and sits in the chair. He feels the need to watch her and make sure she is really alright. He is worried about the GHB in her system, but his mother had told him that all he can do is keep an eye on her and let her sleep it off.

After putting Natalie down, Ana slips into Phoebe's room and puts her hand on Christian's shoulder. "She'll be okay. Come to bed"

Christian is reluctant to leave. When he doesn't make a move to stand Ana leans down, wraps her arms around him from behind and puts her face next to his head. "I need some help out of this dress, Mr Grey" she whispers. Christian cannot help but feel tickled by the sound of her sultry voice. "Our daughter is sleeping peacefully. She'll be fine." She leans up but keeps her hands on his shoulders. She gently starts to massage them, waiting for him to respond to her touch. After a few moments he reaches up for one of her hands, brings it to his lips and kisses each knuckle.

"I'm worried about her Ana. We have no idea how much of that crap is in her system. What if her body has a bad reaction to it?"

"Your mother said she needs to sleep it off." Ana tries to assure him. "And now she's doing that. You can check on her a few times if you'd like but you need to sleep too. Come on."

Christian lets out a sigh and keeps his spot on the chair for a little longer. After watching Phoebe's chest rise and fall with her breathing ten more times he slowly stands and walks out of the room with his wife.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana leads Christian into their bedroom by the hand. There is soft music playing and the lights are dim. Christian takes Ana into his arms and they dance slowly, face to face. "Round two, Mrs Grey?"

"I can go another round"

Christian takes her hand, raises it above her head and spins her around, but stops her when her back is to him. He wraps one arm around her waist and uses the other hand to unzip her dress. While he is doing this he is kissing her hair. Once her zipper is down he slowly peels the dress off, starting at her shoulder, and trails kisses down her shoulder and down her back. He pulls the dress down to the floor and raises his hand up for her to take it. She supports her weight and steps out of the dress. Christian stands and turns her around to take in the sight of his wife in her bra and panties.

"I think you are overdressed, Mr Grey" she says. She starts to slowly undress her husband as they kiss. Once she has his shirt, shoes and pants off he scoops her up in his arms and plops her down on the bed, causing her to laugh. He removes her bra and panties and presses her into the mattress, kissing her hard. As he deepens the kiss she runs her hands down his back and starts to pull at his boxers. He helps her by removing them and throwing them onto the floor. He takes his time and trails kisses down her body. Along the way he also licks and sucks. When she can't take it anymore she abruptly sits up and grabs her husband's face with both hands. She is breathless. "Christian…. now….. please!"

Christian smiles his billion dollar smile at her. "Happy to oblige, Mrs Grey." He lays her back down and makes love to her. No implements, no bondage, just Christian and Ana and their love. When they are both spent they lie spooning together. He kisses her hair a few times as they gain control of their breathing. "Vanilla has always been one of my favorite flavors" he whispers.


	30. Big Hike

It is Sunday morning, and Christian is the first to wake up and start the day. It is nearly seven, so after he puts on pajama pants and a shirt he walks into Natalie's nursery. She is awake, and when he hovers over her crib he is greeted with a big baby smile and baby laugh. _My baby girl is five months old today_. She raises her feet and grabs them with her hands as she rambles some baby talk. Christian watches her for a few minutes before he picks her up and holds her, kissing her head and bouncing as he walks around with her. After he changes her diaper he carries her down stairs to the kitchen to prepare her morning bottle. He has her strapped into her bouncy seat while he prepares it.

As he goes about making her a bottle and brewing his coffee he wonders where the time has gone. It only seems like yesterday that Teddy and Phoebe were Natalie's age, waking up in their cribs and happy to see him, happy to let him take care of their every needs. Now they are older and much less dependent on him. A feeling of sadness starts to overwhelm him. He misses those days. He'll only have these days with Natalie for so long. His thoughts are interrupted when Teddy walks into the kitchen.

"Morning Dad"

Christian turns around and sees his son carrying the morning paper over to the breakfast bar. "Good Morning Son. Don't forget, we're going hiking today. Is an hour enough time for you to get ready?"

"Sure" Teddy says trying to hide his surprise.

"Good, make sure you eat a good breakfast." His coffee is brewed and the bottle is warm. He leaves his coffee to tend to Natalie. He lifts her out of her bouncy seat and takes her to the main room to feed her, leaving Teddy with his breakfast. Once he's left the room, Teddy walks over to the coffee pot and pours himself a cup. He fixes it with cream and sugar and then completes his breakfast with cereal. He begins to read the paper with his coffee in hand when Ana walks in.

"Morning Baby" she says warmly. She jumps back and gasps when Teddy lowers the newspaper to reveal that it is him, not his father. "Oh my, Teddy, it's you. Wow sometimes you resemble your father so much, it's scary."

"Sorry Mom. He's in the main room with Natalie."

"You're drinking coffee" she says as she points to the mug in his hand. "When did you start drinking coffee? When did this happen?" She starts to get upset. First she walks in on him having sex and now this?

Teddy somewhat stutters. His mother can still have that effect on him. "It…. helps me stay awake and study."

"Teddy, you should not be drinking coffee at your age and you shouldn't be having sex at your age" she blurts out before she is able to stop herself. The room is silent. Teddy is not sure what to say to his mother. Christian has walked in with Natalie in his arms and he is still feeding her the bottle. He's not sure what to say either. He doesn't look happy. Ana looks over at her husband and she knows that she's crossed the line. She shouldn't have said that to their son. She covers her forehead with one hand as she fights to get a grip. "I'm sorry Teddy. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay Mom" he tries to assure her.

"No it's not okay. None of this is okay." She sits down at the bar and puts her hand on top of his. "You're my baby, and you're growing up way too fast. And I'm having a hard time with that. But, I'm going to try really hard not to stop you. I just want you to be careful, and I want to know that you're making good decisions."

"Mom, I'm doing okay. I promise. And don't worry, you're stuck with me for another year. You're gonna have to help me with get through senior year before I go to college."

Ana smiles at her son and she has a tear in her eye. _College_. She stands and kisses his cheek and they both start to relax. Christian walks further into the room with Natalie still in his arms and he sits at the breakfast bar with his family. They talk about some of the things that happened at the masquerade, including Braxton being there and the teen punch being laced with GHB.

Right on queue Phoebe walks into the kitchen looking very sleepy. She rubs her eyes as she walks toward the breakfast bar. Christian is the first to see her. "Good Morning Peanut. Did you sleep alright?" He hands Natalie off to Ana and stands to greet her.

"What happened to me? I feel funny."

Christian takes her hand and leads her over the breakfast bar. He pulls out a chair for her. "Sit"

Ana hands Natalie back to Christian so she can prepare some oatmeal for Phoebe. He sits at the breakfast bar next to Phoebe while he burps Natalie. "What do you remember about last night?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe rubs her forehead with both hands as she gathers her memories. "I remember the party, I remember dancing with Ava, there was loud music and bright lights…. I don't remember coming home. Did I pass out or something?"

Christian sighs and continues to pat Natalie's back. "Peanut, I don't want you to panic about what I'm about to tell you, because everything is okay."

Phoebe raises her eyebrows and starts to look worried. "Daddy, what happened?"

"Somebody put GHB in the punch, and I know that you drank the punch, and you ate some of the fruit that was in the punch. So you had the drug in your system and it caused you to become disoriented by the end of the night."

"Oh no, I had no idea. I had drugs in my system?" Phoebe starts to panic as she grabs her head again.

Christian reaches out and rubs her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. You had no idea someone did that. But everything's okay" he tries to assure her. "As soon as we found out about the GHB I came and got you and kept you with me until we came home and put you to bed."

Ana puts the oatmeal in front of Phoebe and takes Natalie from Christian. Phoebe doesn't make a move to eat right away. "Did I get sick?"

"No. You fell asleep on the car ride home and you woke up for a little bit while I was taking care of you." He continues to rub her shoulder as he contemplates discussing another part of the evening with her, a part she had complete control over. "Phoebe, the drugs were not your fault, but I am upset about something you did do."

"What did I do?"

Christian leaves go of her shoulder and his tone completely changes. He is angry but he does his best to keep his temper in check. "You were talking to that Braxton kid, after I specifically told him to stay away from you."

Teddy lifts his head from the newspaper. "Whoa, Braxton has a son?"

"Yes he does" Christian confirms and glares at Teddy. "You would have known that if you didn't sneak off with your girlfriend." He turns his attention back to Phoebe. "You are not to see him, and you are not to talk to him. Understand?"

Phoebe nods and looks down at her oatmeal. Christian starts to relax and continues to question her. "Why did you approach him, after Sawyer and I told him to stay away?"

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "I needed to know why he asked me to dance. I needed to know what he knew."

"If he knew what his father did to you?" Phoebe nods and continues to stare at her oatmeal. "Well, did he?"

Phoebe looks over at her father and she has a tear in her eye. She hates when her father uses this tone with her. "He knew what his father did, but he doesn't know that he did it to me."

Christian reaches over and wipes the tear from her face. "The last thing you need is a constant reminder of what happened. We're going to have to start preparing for the trial soon, but until then, no more mention of Braxton or his son, okay?"

Phoebe looks at her father again and nods. He reaches over and kisses her forehead, keeping his lips there for a few seconds. After he pulls away he puts the fork in her hand and rubs his hand through her hair. "Let your mother help you wash your hair today, get all that hairspray out." Phoebe nods and starts to eat her oatmeal slowly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy's POV

My father and I start our hike at the Licorice Fern Trail. It's nice here, secluded. I can't remember the last time it was just me and my father. Last night when he told me we were going hiking I didn't know he was serious. Then again, when was the last time my father broke a promise or lied about anything? A part of me is glad to be here with him, the part that doesn't have enough of his attention. When he's home he's either taking care of Natalie or Phoebe or making out with my mother. The other part of me knows that this will be an awkward conversation since he caught me having sex with my girlfriend. How humiliating! I hope Rebecca will forgive me. She seemed okay while we were watching the fireworks together, like it never happened. But I know it happened. That is why we are here today.

We walk in silence for a while, my father leading the way to make sure the trail is safe for me. That's how it's always been with my father. He's always watching out for our safety. He's obsessed about it. I'm the only kid in my class that's never had so much as broken a bone. But I'll take that over being completely ignored, like some of the other kids in my class. Their parents use nannies and money to raise and entertain their kids. I know my sisters and I are very lucky. Our family has servants and guards, but we weren't raised by them. Mom and Dad were always there to take care of us, hug us, feed us, bathe us and discipline us. My dad is quite the disciplinarian. He never lets us get away with anything. I hope he doesn't forbid me from seeing Rebecca. Just the thought of that leaves me lightheaded, and Dad notices.

"You alright son?"

"Yeah Dad, let's keep going."

He stops and turns me around to open my backpack. "What are you doing?"

He holds his hand out in front of me and it has a bottle of water in it. "Here, drink this, you need to keep hydrated." I do as he says and then see that he looks pleased. "Shall we?"

I follow him again and we walk further up the trail. Once we reach a point where the trail is wider he has me walk next to him. His hands are in his pockets and his eyes are straight ahead. He has slowed his pace. He almost looks calm as he takes in the peaceful setting with the trees and the birds chirping. I wish he would talk to me and get this over with. The silence is killing me. After I realize I've been holding my breath I let it out and take another sip of my water. I look up at him again and he's grinning. Damn, he's enjoying my discomfort.

"Son, do you know why I wanted to come here today?"

Geez, he really is enjoying this. "Look, Dad, you don't have to talk to me about the birds and the bees. You did that already, remember? When Phoebe got her period?"

He remains calm and continues to look forward as we walk. "Yes, I remember. Your mother was in Atlanta for a conference that weekend. I had my work cut out for me with the two of you."

"I thought you did just fine. Which means you don't need to do it again."

"Good, because that's not what I want to talk about." He finally looks at me, his expression is more serious. Uh oh.

"So…. what did you want to talk about?"

"Your mother and I walked in on you and your girlfriend in a pretty compromising position. Not only were you having sex, but her hands were tied and she was blindfolded." I gulp. This is worse than I thought. God, this is humiliating, but not for him. How does he manage to stay so calm? Even his voice is calm right now. "Did she ask you to do that to her?"

"Yes, she likes it that way." I'm so nervous, why am I nervous? This is my father and there is nobody else around. No people, no Taylor or Sawyer, I should be able to talk to him about this.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I wouldn't have done it if she didn't insist."

We continue to walk slowly up the trail. My father, calm as a cucumber while I'm a ball of nerves. We both have our hands in our pockets. My shoulders are raised while his are relaxed. I wish I could be as cool as him.

"Tell me when this started. The sex."

"A few months ago" I tell him. "She wanted to be tied down the first time we did it, but when I told her I was a virgin she changed her mind. She let me explore sex with her the regular way, and then when I got more comfortable…. we tried things."

"What kind of things?" Wow, he's really pushing this. This is so uncomfortable. I start to cringe. How do I tell him about what Rebecca and I have been doing? "Son, it's okay you can tell me." His voice is soft and light, like we're talking about something normal like the weather. How is he staying so calm? I gulp again and hear him sigh. "Teddy, I want you to tell me so that I can help you, offer advice. I'm not going to judge you, I promise."

This is so not going the way I thought it would. I thought he would yell at me and forbid me to have sex. But he seems to have accepted that I'm having sex. But now he wants the specifics. So he can help me? I didn't think Dads could weigh in on just how their sons perform sexually. Then again, Christian Grey is no ordinary Dad. He needs to know everything. I decide to bite the bullet and just tell him, otherwise he will never give up. "She lets me tie her up, blindfold her, we've used a riding crop and a flogger…."

"Anything else?" he asks when I stop talking.

I gulp again. "She has me spank her."

I can see his smile grow on his face. Why does he have to enjoy this? "Don't be embarrassed, Son. If this is something you and your girlfriend agree on then there is nothing wrong with it."

"Really?" I start to relax. Somehow my father's acceptance and understanding lifts a huge weight off my shoulder. So maybe this isn't all wrong. Perhaps he knows something about it. I raise my eyebrow at him as this comes to mind. "So, you and Mom?" God, I can't believe I asked him that. He's not going to tell me. I have so crossed the line. I don't need to know about my parents' sex life. I cringe at the thought. All kids come to the realization that their parents have sex at some point, but they don't like to think about it, let alone talk about it. What was I thinking? "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's okay, Son. Your mother and I have had a very fulfilling sensual relationship. And we both have consented to everything that we've done together. And I want to make sure you know how important it is that you and this girl… and any girl for that matter, fully consent to everything that you're doing."

Wow, he is being so cool about this. But eww, I didn't need to know that about him and Mom. Still, it's nice to have someone I can talk to about this, besides Rebecca. I get to have a guy's point of view. I've just realized I haven't answered him.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Son?"

"Yeah Dad, I know it's important. Rebecca and I do talk about what we're going to do before we do it. And as far as other girls go, I don't plan to have sex with anyone else but Rebecca right now. I care about her and she's the only one I want to be with."

I see him smile at me, like he's proud. "Glad to hear it son. I want you monogamous. And I want to get to know Rebecca."

"So, the background check is already done?" I get nervous again. He wants to get to know Rebecca. _All_ about her, her family, their trade, any crimes her family members have committed. I don't know if there are any, but if there are he is sure to find them.

"Yes, it's all done. Your mother and I will be fine with you seeing her as long as you bring her by for dinner once in a while so we can get to know her."

"Thanks Dad. So, does this mean you're not mad?" Gee, am I pushing my luck or what?

"I'm not happy about you keeping your girlfriend a secret. You know I hate secrets Teddy."

I pout. "Yeah, I know. I thought you wouldn't approve. I know Mom doesn't."

"Your mother needs to get used to the idea of you growing up and becoming your own man. I have to admit, I'm having a hard time with that myself."

"Really?"

He nods, and his whole demeanor changes. He almost looks sad. "You and Phoebe are both growing up so fast. It only seems like yesterday when you were babies. Bottles and diapers, crawling and walking, teething…. baths, toys, tickle fits, toilet training…"

"You remember all that?" I ask him.

"Of course I do. I've enjoyed every minute of taking care of you two. The toilet training though, that was tedious."

I look up at him and his pout quickly changes to a grin. "How do you mean?"

"You refused to train. Diapers didn't seem to bother you. When you were three I got so frustrated, I worked from home for a week and kept you home with me just so I could work with you. I stopped what I was doing every hour and made you sit on the toilet."

"Did it work?"

"No" he says, but his tone is more playful than anything. "You were definitely a challenge when it came to toilet training. But the doctor kept telling us not to worry, that you'd do it when you were ready."

"When was I ready?" Wow, this is the first time I've heard my father talk about a time when I was a baby. Maybe toilet training isn't the best topic but it's something. I don't remember any of that.

"You stopped wearing diapers when you were four. And by that time it was Phoebe's turn to learn. Your mother and I got to do it all over again." He is still smiling. I love this side of my father. So relaxed and enjoying himself, even if it is at my expense. He reaches over and ruffles my hair before pulling me into a one arm hug. "I told your sister this and now I'm going to tell you. I don't care how old you get, I am always going to be your father, and I'm always going to take care of you."

"Dad, I think it should be the other way around, you know? Phoebe, Natalie and I will be taking care of you and Mom when you get old."

"When we get old?" His tone is still playful, and I can't help but laugh. "You'll stick us in some nursing home when we're old."

"No Dad, it's only fair. You and Mom have always been there for us, so that will be our turn to take care of you."

"That's very kind of you son. But I don't ever plan on getting old."

We continue to walk up the trail in silence. I can't believe I've survived the sex talk. Dad was so cool about it, way cooler than I've ever expected. I hope he can help Mom be cool about me and Rebecca. I've always had a great relationship with my mother, but when it comes to sex it is just too awkward to talk to her. I hope I can keep talking to Dad about this, and other things.

"Dad, do you think we can do this more often….. hiking?"

"Of course. Anytime you want."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

We arrive home around four in the afternoon. I'm so glad I took my son out for the day. We rarely ever get to spend time together, just the two of us. I've often thought about taking him hiking but something always came up. I also didn't think he'd want to go hiking with me. He always enjoyed it when he was younger, but now that he's a teenager I feel like he'd rather spend more time with his friends than his father. He's also close with his mother, talks to her a lot more than he talks to me. When that started happening it was balanced since Phoebe talked to me more than her mother. Teddy's and my hike was definitely overdue, and I'm glad to hear that he'd like to go more often. I smile at the thought. My son. He's growing up but today was a good indication that he still needs me. And I'm happy to keep being there for him.

Taylor drives through the gate and up our drive way. I had decided to have him drive us to and from the trail but I didn't want any of our security following us. Today was just about me and my son. I didn't think he'd be as open if we had someone following us all day. I'm pleased with how our day went. We went for a long hike, had some good talks and ate some packed sandwiches for lunch. Now that we are home I am hungry for dinner. Ana told me would be making steak for dinner. I'm craving it.

When I walk into the main room I am met with sad and worried faces on my wife and daughter. Ana stands and greets me with a kiss and a hug. Something's wrong. "Baby what is it?" I pull her out of our embrace and hold her at arm's length.

"Detective Bryce called. She said they are moving up the trial."

_Fuck!_ "When?" My voice is more stern than I mean it to be.

"This Friday. She said she'd be calling to schedule some time this week to prepare Phoebe for her testimony."

Phoebe is still sitting on the couch. I look down at her and think about what I'm going to say to her. Just this morning I was telling her that we needed to forget about all things Braxton until the trial, and suddenly we are already there. I walk over and sit next to her on the couch so that my leg is touching hers.

"Peanut, look at it this way. Rather than drag this out for a couple weeks we get to get this over with." This doesn't seem to help her. I put my arm around her and do my best to assure her. "Everything's going to be okay. Bryce and the DA will be here this week and they are going to help you prepare for this." I look up at Ana and can see that she is as lost as I am right now. I lean over and kiss Phoebe's hair, which is still wet from when she washed it. "Your mother and I will be here too. You will not be alone in this." She nods and leans in to rest her head on my chest. Can my daughter ever catch a break?

* * *

_**I'm sorry it took so long to update. I wanted to make this chapter long. Let me know if you are still reading and what you think. I hope you are still enjoying my interpretation of the future Greys even in the later chapters. Happy Reading!**_


	31. Big Trial

Phoebe's POV

I wake up in my bed but I'm not in a hurry to get up. I'm not sure what time it is, but I know that it's early. I don't hear anyone moving around. The only sounds I hear are coming from outside, birds chirping and the ocean waves splashing. It is usually calming, but not this morning. It is Friday, which means I will be going down to the courthouse to testify. People will be staring at me as the ADA and Defense Attorney ask me questions. The thought terrifies me. Even after all the time Bryce and the ADA spent this week preparing me, I still do not feel confident that I can do this. Get up in front of all those people and talk about what Mr Braxton did to me. I feel a tear escape my eye and run down my face. I don't want to do this. I can't to do this.

I roll over onto my side and bring my knees up to my chest, hoping sleep will find me again, but it doesn't. My head is spinning with all of the happenings of the past couple days. I've completed my assignments for the homeschool program with very little effort. Dad took me to my dance classes which started this week. He said it was important to keep up with regular activities. Rebecca came over for dinner and had to endure my father's Grey inquisition. I was actually very impressed with her. She seemed very calm and confident as my family made conversation with her. I didn't say a word, I only listened. Once this is all over I hope to go back to acting like a human being and make friends with her. If she's going to keep being my brother's girlfriend I want to be supportive and welcoming.

I've also been texting with Caleb, which is the only time I've been able to allow my mind to escape from thoughts of the trial. He doesn't know that I'm the victim, and I'd like to keep it that way. We've been texting about nothing really important, just some things to get to know each other. I know Dad told me not to talk to him and not to see him, but I can't help it. This helps me cope, to escape from my real life that is a mess right now. It is the only time that I don't think about the trial.

I watch my door open slowly to reveal my brother. When he sees that I'm awake he walks into the room and plops down on my bed. I sit up to greet him. I'm reminded of the days when we were little and he would come into my room on Saturday and Sunday mornings to get me because our parents were still sleeping. They would allow us to watch television in the main room until it was time for them to come down stairs and make breakfast. Teddy and I have been through a lot together, and we've had a wonderful childhood. We played together, learned together, we had our moments of fighting and of course we got in trouble together. I'm so glad I have a brother so close to my age. I don't think I would have done well without him. The thought brings a small smile to my face, and he picks up on it.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks me.

"When we were little, and you used to come in here and get me on weekends before Mom and Dad were awake."

Teddy smiles too. I can tell he is remembering something. "Saturday morning cartoons. That was the only time Mom and Dad would really let us watch television." We sit in silence for a few seconds before he speaks again. "Do you remember when we broke the TV?"

"Vaguely." I really don't remember much about that day, except that it happened and Dad was furious.

"We couldn't agree on what to watch, so we wound up knocking it over. Then Dad kept asking us who was responsible for knocking it over."

I look up at him. My brother has such a good memory, while I seem to have blocked things out. "Who knocked it over?"

Teddy shrugs his shoulders. "I don't remember if I did it or if you did it. But since neither of us owned up to it Dad punished us both. He sent us to our rooms and made us wait for him to spank us. I really hated waiting for his punishments. But, that was probably the point."

"Wow, I don't remember any of that. I'm sorry if I got you in trouble."

Teddy laughs at me. "It's okay Phoebs. That was like a million years ago. I don't resent you for anything you did when we were kids and I don't resent our parents for punishing us. They were always very loving and very hands on with us. Everything they've done for us has shaped us into who we are today." Teddy's right. Our parents have always been there for us and they continue to be. "I hope you don't resent them for punishing us" he adds.

I have to think about that for a moment. Resentment has never been something I've felt, but I recall being angry with Dad for punishing me recently. Is that resentment? "Why would you think that?"

I see him shrug. "You took it really hard anytime Dad had to spank you. He didn't do it very often, but when he did you would get so mad at him."

That surprises me, but then again, I did get mad at him when he did it recently. I don't remember many specifics of my childhood. Just bits and pieces. "Really?"

"Yes. But then you would make a complete one eighty, and next thing I knew you were cuddling with him in his lap, and you would cling to him for the rest of the day, like all was forgiven."

"How do you remember all of this?"

He shrugs again. "I guess I have a good memory."

I look at my brother and I don't see him as a kid anymore. He's more of a man. He's grown up so fast over the past year, but I don't feel like I have. I'm still a kid, immature and extremely sensitive. I hope I grow out of that.

"Hey" he interrupts my thoughts. "I don't want you to worry about today. You are going to do great. Mom, Dad and I are going to be there for you. If you get nervous while you're on the stand, just look at us to draw your strength."

My brother has grown so much wisdom over the years. He is so much like Dad. Very intelligent and also very loving toward me. The thought makes me smile. "Thanks Teddy." He kisses my forehead and leaves the room for me to get up and get dressed.

Mom had helped me pick out an outfit to wear last night. Bryce said it was very important for me to dress my age, since their angle is to show the judge and jury that Braxton committed this crime against a teenager that is physically and emotionally fifteen. I was also instructed to act my age and to be myself. Bryce and the ADA have put so much time into preparing me this week. They were at our house every night when Dad brought me home from dance class and they worked with me, asking me questions like I'll be asked today and making sure I understand my feelings about what happened. I am grateful for everything they've done for me. So as terrified as I am about testifying today, I want to do it and I need to do it. They had explained to me that this was my step toward getting justice, and possibly preventing him from being able to do this to someone else. That empowered me when they said this to me, that _I_ can make this happen.

I'm going to do what Teddy said and focus on my family when I get stuck or nervous on the stand. They have been so good to me this week, listening to me and comforting me as I had to relive that day in Braxton's office. Dad made sure that I ate a good dinner every night and stayed with me a few times when I had trouble falling asleep. Mom and I baked cookies, and Teddy taught me how to play chess. Dad also let me feed Natalie a few times, which I love to do. She' starting to get big, so his anxiety about Teddy and I holding her is slightly decreasing.

When we arrive at the courthouse I am a ball of nerves. I am wearing a light gray jumper over a short sleeved baby doll white shirt, white tights and light gray Uggs. My hair is down and relaxed like it always is with pins holding some of it back in the middle of my head. I'm wearing light make-up like I always do, since Bryce told me to dress my age. I am walking in between my parents and Dad is holding my hand. Teddy is walking behind us with Sawyer and Taylor. Before we walk in Dad stops and looks down at me. "Phoebe, I don't want you to worry about anything. You are ready for this. All you have to do is answer the questions honestly. And only answer with a Yes or a No unless otherwise instructed. Okay?"

I take a deep breath and think about his pep talk. He's addressing me in his CEO voice instead of his sensitive father voice, which is actually better for me. I can't have sensitive Daddy talking to me right now, otherwise I will become too emotional and just want to cuddle in his lap and have him make this all better for me. That can't happen today. I need to be strong. "Okay"

"That's my girl" he says, still in his CEO voice. "And remember, do not look at the occupants that are sitting on the right side of the courtroom unless instructed. We will be sitting on your left."

He is referring to Mr Braxton. He doesn't want me to look at him. I don't want to look at him either. But I'll have to when the ADA asks me to point him out. Bryce told me that would happen. I'm worried about what that moment will do to me and my testimony. That is one of the first questions she will ask me. Dad interrupts my thoughts. "You can do this Phoebe. You're ready for this."

I nod and offer him a small grin. When he and Mom lead me into the courtroom we find it empty, except for Bryce and ADA Townsend. They both greet me with a handshake and I'm immediately put at ease. I'm glad nobody else is here yet. It will give me a chance to take in my surroundings in private.

"We've asked your parents to bring you early so that you could see the inside of the courtroom and get a feel for it." Bryce explains to me. She's really good at her job, dealing with people that have been victims of crimes. She's been so patient with me and understanding whenever I've needed extra time to answer her questions. At the same time she's shown me that she is tough, having to deal with my overprotective father anytime the questioning became too much for me. I've never seen anyone deal with my father the way that she has. It's a good mix since she has to deal with victims like me and the bad people that commit the crimes. I'm so glad I have her in my corner. She leads me over to the witness stand and has me sit in the chair that is in the box. I look around as my family takes their seats on the plaintiff side of the courtroom. This is very scary, very intimidating. I've seen some courtroom scenes on television but never had to actually experience being in a real courtroom, let alone a witness stand. I place my hand on the polished dark wood stand in front of me and run my hand across it. Bryce watches me thoughtfully and gives me time to take all of this in. It didn't occur to me that I would feel this way sitting here. I am grateful that they thought to have me come here early to experience this before I had to sit here with a judge, jury and defense attorney, and of course the defendant.

Bryce takes the time to explain some things to me. First she walks over to an area where two rows of six chairs are lined up. "This is where the jury will be" she explains. And then she points over to the defendant's side. "And that is where the defendant and defense attorney will be." My nerves start to grow again and I do my best to suppress them. I remember Teddy's advice and glance over at my family. My Dad, my Mom and my brother are sitting next to each other. Dad has his arm around Mom. I instantly feel better when I see them. Teddy was right. I can draw my strength from them. I can do this.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The trial begins and Christian is called as a witness. Phoebe is not in the courtroom. She is in a room behind the witness stand so that she is blocked from hearing her father's testimony. Teddy and Sawyer are with her while Taylor is sitting with Ana. Christian sits down after he is sweared in. ADA Townsend questions him first.

"Mr Grey, why were you at The Maynard School on April nineteenth?"

Christian looks the ADA in the eye when he answers. He is wearing a light gray business suite over a white shirt and light gray tie. "My niece had called me to let me know that my daughter got into trouble, and she asked me to come to the school."

"What happened when you arrived at the school?"

"I found my niece and my son standing outside of the headmaster's office. She told me what had happened before my daughter was called to the office."

"How did your niece appear to you?" the ADA asks as she glances over at the jury.

"She was upset. She was afraid that my daughter was in trouble for something she didn't do."

"What happened next" the ADA asks as she starts pacing in front of the witness stand.

"I walked into the headmaster's office to get my daughter."

"What did you see when you walked in?"

Christian clenches his fists as he recalls the moments inside the office. He does his best to keep his temper in check, but he does allow some of it to shine through since the jury needs to see his reaction. "There was vomit on the floor. I'd assumed it was my daughter's. And then I saw my daughter bent over the desk with her panties down." He stops to take a breath. "The headmaster was standing next to her holding a cane against her backside."

"Do you see the headmaster sitting in this courtroom today?"

Christian looks over at Braxton and grits his teeth. "Yes"

"Could you point him out?"

Christian extends his arm and points at Braxton. "Right there"

"Let the record show that the witness has pointed out Harold Braxton." The ADA turns and walks back to the plaintiff desk and presents a cane which is in a large plastic evidence bag. She holds it up for Christian to see. "Do you recognize this?"

"Yes"

"Where have you seen this before?"

"Braxton was holding that against my daughter's backside when I walked into his office." Christian is practically growling. He has to take a few breaths to control his anger. His breathing is harsh and the jury takes notice of how upsetting this is for a father.

"What happened next?"

"I walked over to my daughter and fixed her clothes. I gave her a hug." There is a tear in Christian's eye. He looks at Ana and she also has tears in her eyes. She is covering her mouth to restrain herself from breaking down. Taylor is sitting next to her. He reaches over and takes her hand.

"How did she seem when you hugged her?"

Christian's emotions start to get the best to him. His voice is almost a sob as he answers the question. "She was stiff, like she was afraid to move. She didn't hug me back."

"No further questions, your honor." The ADA turns and walks back to the plaintiff's desk to sit.

The defense attorney rises. "No questions, your honor"

Christian is dismissed by the judge. He stands up, straightens his jacket and walks back to his seat. He sits down and puts his arm around Ana. They need to calm down and be strong for Phoebe while she is on the stand. The ADA calls her next and she is escorted into the courtroom. She stands in the box and is sweared in.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do" she says in almost a soft whisper. She sits down and waits for the ADA. When Townsend walks up to her she offers a soft grin, which helps Phoebe relax.

"Can you tell us your name for the record?"

"Phoebe Grey"

"Thank you Phoebe. Can you tell us what grade you are in?" The ADA decides to throw in some easy questions to get her settled, and to allow the jury to get to know some things about her.

"I'm a freshman"

"Phoebe, what do you like to do when you're not in school?"

"I play piano, take dance lessons, and I like to shop with my mother, my cousin and my aunt."

"Can you tell us about your family?"

"Objection" the defense attorney roars, which makes Phoebe jump. "Relevance?"

"I'm establishing character, your honor" the ADA explains.

"I'll allow it. Continue please" the judge says in a controlled voice. He glares at the defense attorney who immediately sits down.

"Phoebe, please tell us about your family."

"I have a mother and a father, an older brother and a baby sister."

"Do you get along?"

"Yes, my parents are very attentive. We've never had a nanny or a baby sitter. My brother and I are best friends. And my sister is still a baby, but I get to feed her once in a while." Christian smiles at his daughter as he listens to her describe their loving family. He and Ana have worked so hard to make sure that they had a close relationship with their kids, and them each other.

The mood in the room changes as the ADA gets to the more difficult questions. "Phoebe, what went through your mind when you were called into the headmaster's office on April nineteenth?"

"That I was in trouble."

"What did you do to get in trouble?"

Phoebe takes a breath and focuses on the wood as she collects her thoughts. "This girl was picking on me, and she started a fight with me, and I tried to defend myself. I'm not sure but I might have hurt her wrist."

"What happened once you were in the office?"

Phoebe takes another breath before she continues. "The nurse came in to take care of Rachel and check her wrist and then Rachel was allowed to leave, but I was told to stay. The headmaster looked at my file and said I was in trouble for doing things that I didn't do and that….. I had to be punished." Phoebe starts to become emotional and the jury can hear it in her voice. She does her best to collect herself. She looks up and sees her parents. Christian nods at her, which gives her the strength to continue. She takes another breath to calm herself.

"Phoebe, do you see the headmaster in the courtroom today?"

"Yes." She looks over at Braxton and extends her arm, pointing at him. "Right there."

The ADA looks over at Braxton and then back at Phoebe. "Let the record show that the witness has pointed out Harold Braxton. Phoebe, what happened after you were told that you would be punished?"

"I vomited"

"And after that?"

"Mr Braxton took something out of his cabinet and poured it over the floor. It was like sand. It smelled really bad, and I was embarrassed."

"So you were told that you were going to be punished, and then you vomited. Would it be accurate to say that you were scared?"

"Yes"

"Why were you scared?"

"I was afraid he was going to hurt me." Phoebe's eyes are on ADA Townsend as she answers her questions. She is amazed that she hasn't lost it yet.

"What happened next?"

"He made me bend over his desk, and then he lifted my skirt…and…."

"Phoebe?" The ADA says her name to get her attention.

Phoebe looks at her father again and makes eye contact. This is killing him, but he is staying strong for his daughter. He nods at her again. Phoebe looks at the ADA again and feels a rush of confidence run through her. Her voice is steady as she continues. "He lifted my skirt and he pulled down my underwear. I tried to get him to stop but he yelled at me, told me it would be worse if I interfered."

The courtroom is silent. You can hear a pin drop. The jury is disgusted with what they are hearing. The ADA continues her questioning after a pause. "Then what happened?"

"He hit me with the paddle twenty times. He made me count. It really hurt." Phoebe stops to collect herself again before she continues. "And then he stopped and made me stay bent over the desk. I thought he was done, but then I heard him open the desk drawer. He had something else in his hand but I didn't see what it was. He started hitting me with that…. and I screamed. I couldn't believe that something could h h hurt so bad. I wanted him to stop but he wouldn't." Phoebe starts to tear up. The ADA hands her a glass of water and she drinks it.

"Phoebe, how many times did he hit you with the second implement?"

"I don't know. He told me to count but I couldn't. I was crying because it hurt. And then the next thing I knew my Dad was standing next to me."

"Thank you, Phoebe. Nothing further your honor."

ADA Townsend sits down as the defense attorney stands. He adjusts his suit jacket and approaches Phoebe.

"Miss Grey, have you ever been physically punished at home?"

Phoebe starts to squirm as the ADA stands and shouts "Objection! Relevance?"

"I have a point I'm trying to make, your honor."

"Then make it" the judge roars. He is not pleased with the defense attorney's approach.

"Answer the question please" the defense attorney says as he looks at Phoebe.

Phoebe gulps. She was prepared for the ADA's questions, but the defense attorney's questions are unpredictable. "Yes"

"How often, would you say?"

Phoebe frowns. "I don't know, a few."

"Would you say that physical punishment is an effective way to get children to behave?"

"I guess so. I'm not a parent, so I don't know." Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. She doesn't see the point of his questioning.

"Let me ask you this, when you were physically punished at home, did it teach you to change your behavior?"

"Yes"

"Yes, so would you say physical punishment at school would get you to change your behavior at school?"

"If I did something wrong, then yes. But.."

"Next question" he interrupts her. "So based on your testimony, here today, you agree that physical punishment at school would prompt you to change your behavior at school. If that is the case, why are we here today? Why would you say that my client committed a crime?"

Phoebe pauses for a moment. All of a sudden she feels like she is the one that is on trial. She looks to her family again. Christian looks angry. She looks back at the defense attorney and an answer comes to her. "He beat me. That wasn't punishment, that was assault."

"Would you agree that the lines between a beating and a spanking could be slightly blurred?" He asks.

"No" Phoebe says with confidence. She too is getting angry. "That wasn't spanking, that was…."

He interrupts her again. "Could it be that you are just angry that you got punished?"

"Objection your honor" the ADA stands and shouts again.

"Sustained. Counselor, either try another way or take your seat. You are trying my patience." The judge admonishes.

"Yes, your honor. No further questions." He turns and sits down next to Mr Braxton.

"Redirect, your honor" the ADA calls out.

"Please proceed" the judge happily agrees.

"Phoebe, after you were punished at school, did you have bruises?"

"Yes"

"And how long did it take for you to recover from those bruises?" the ADA asks.

"They didn't stop hurting until a week later" Phoebe answers sadly.

"And when you were physically punished by your parents, did you ever receive bruises?"

"No"

"Thank you. No further questions, your honor."

"You may step down" the judge says to Phoebe as he nods to her. She is lead back to the room where Teddy and Sawyer are waiting for her. "We will proceed after a thirty minute recess" the judge announces.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy welcomes Phoebe into his arms when she returns to the room. After a few seconds he holds her at arm's length and smiles down at her. "You did well, sis" he says to her.

"You saw?" she asks with a confused expression.

"Yes, live feed. They didn't have it on earlier because they didn't want you to hear Dad's testimony.

Christian and Ana join them and Christian immediately takes Phoebe into his arms and hugs her tight. "You did so good, Peanut" he says into her hair as he rubs her back. "I'm so proud of you."

"Me too, Sweetheart" Ana says as she gives Phoebe a hug.

"Thank you" Phoebe says as she smiles. "I'm glad that part's over."

"So are we" Christian says.

"Taylor went out to get some lunch for us. He's bringing back an Italian hoagie for you" Ana announces.

Phoebe looks at Christian and he smirks.

"Since when do you like Italian hoagies?" Teddy asks his sister.

Phoebe continues to smile at her father. "Since Dad made me try one in Florida."

The family sits and relaxes as they wait for Taylor to return with their lunch. When he does they all sit and enjoy their meal, even though they are still at the courthouse and there is still a trial going on. They have the live feed turned off because they don't want to hear Braxton's testimony. Christian and Ana are alerted to go back into the courtroom when it is time to present the physical evidence. They dread having to see the pictures of their daughter's bruises, but they need to be in the courtroom to support her. They both look down when the ADA presents the pictures. Christian has one arm around Ana and the other hand is holding both of hers in her lap. When this part of the trial is over, the jury is sent to a room to discuss the trial and Christian and Ana rejoin their kids.

The judge surprises them by coming into the room with ADA Townsend. "Mr and Mrs Grey, might we have a few minutes alone with Phoebe?" he asks them.

"What's this about?" Christian asks as he puts a protective arm around his daughter.

"I just want to ask her a few questions without the defendant being present. I promise I'll go easy" the judge says. He seems very sincere, like he wants to make this okay for Phoebe. "ADA Townsend will be here with us too."

"It's okay, Dad" Phoebe says as she looks up at him.

"You sure" he asks her, because he isn't sure.

"Yes. I can do this"

Christian kisses the top of her head and escorts his family, Sawyer and Taylor out of the room.

"Let's sit down" the judge says, and Phoebe obeys. He doesn't tell Phoebe this, but the jury will be able to see this conversation. He wants them to see the real side of Phoebe, not the girl that was prepared to be strong for her testimony. And he does not want to give the defendant the satisfaction of seeing his victim weak again. "I want to commend you for your testimony today. I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "It wasn't"

"How did you feel while you were on the witness stand?"

"I was scared, I wanted to cry a few times but I knew that I couldn't. I didn't want Braxton to see that."

"Why not?" the judge asks her.

"Because, my Dad said if I showed weakness on the stand, Braxton would win. And if I cried, I wouldn't be able to answer the questions."

"This was important to you" the judge observes.

"Yes"

"Why?"

Phoebe looks down at her hands that are folded in her lap for a moment. "Detective Bryce said it would make me feel better, make me feel like I have some control since control was taken away from me that day. And also, he really hurt me and I don't want him to be able to do that to anyone else."

"Good answer" the judge smiles at her. "Now, I want you to tell me about the days after this incident. What happened when you got home?"

Phoebe hesitates. She wasn't prepared to talk about this. But this is the judge, she feels compelled to answer his questions honestly. "I was in a lot of pain. My Dad and my brother tried to help me, they had to take care of me. It hurt to move, I couldn't sit up, I had to lie on my bed most of the time." Phoebe stops to dry some tears that have started to roll down her face. "I didn't leave my house much, except to buy a dress for my family's fundraiser, and to attend the fundraiser. I had trouble falling asleep so my Dad had to sit with me a few times at night. I know he had a hard time with this too. It was the first time I ever saw him cry." Phoebe looks down and tears continue to roll down her face. "This had an effect on my family too, they tried to hide it from me, but I know better. They've been so great. I couldn't have testified if it weren't for them."

"Phoebe, you are a very lucky girl to have them. And I am very glad that you have decided to testify today. If more people were as strong as you are, we would have better chances of putting away criminals. I don't know what the jury will decide, but please know this, it won't be all for nothing. You testifying today has empowered you, you stepped up and did something that terrified you. So, if he's not found guilty, I want you to hold onto that, okay?"

"Okay" Phoebe says as another tear escapes her eye. The three of them stand and the judge shakes her hand before he leaves.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The Greys sit in the courtroom together as they watch the jury walk back into the courtroom and take their seats. Christian is sitting next to Phoebe, next to her is Teddy and next to him is Ana. Taylor and Sawyer are seated on each side of the family.

"All rise"

They are holding hands as they watch the judge walk back into the courtroom and take his seat. "Please be seated. Has the jury reached a verdict?" he asks.

"Yes, your honor"

"Will the defendant please stand"

Braxton and his attorney stand to listen to the verdict.

"On the count of aggravated assault against a minor, we find the defendant guilty"

The Greys smile and grip each other's hands tighter as they continue to listen.

"On the count of indecent assault against a minor, we find the defendant guilty"

The occupants in the courtroom gasp, some with excitement as the juror finishes reading the verdict. The judge dismisses the jury and announces that there will be a sentencing hearing in a week. After the hammer comes down the Greys stand and embrace each other as a police officer puts hand cuffs on Braxton. Christian opens his eyes as he keeps his arms around his family. He spots Jasmine leaving the courtroom without a word to her husband before he is taken away. _Guess she'll get her divorce after all_. He is ecstatic as he looks down and Phoebe and embraces just her this time. They will get justice for the brutal attack on his daughter. Maybe now she can move on with her life and put this behind her.

* * *

_**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I love that you still read and enjoy my story. It is actually more difficult to write the later chapters, which is why it is taking me longer. I will keep going with this though. I have some more ideas. Happy Reading!**_


	32. Big Normal

Christian's POV

Monday morning has come too soon. It means back to work for me and Ana and back to school for our kids. Phoebe will be going back to school today for the first time since that fucker Braxton assaulted her. We talked about it over the weekend, at length. I didn't want her to go back until September. There are only six or seven weeks left of school until the summer break and I could've had her stay home on the homeschool program. I would've worked from home one or two days a week to be with her. But she was very adamant that she wanted to return to school. I couldn't deny her that. Those blue eyes of hers that she got from her mother were determined to convince me that she was ready to return to school, and she succeeded. I am so proud of her. I only hope that she can put this incident behind her and move forward.

I walk into the kitchen and see my son sitting at the breakfast bar with the paper and his breakfast. I approach him and slap my hand down on the table. He slightly flinches and looks up at me, and then he looks down at the table to see what I've left for him.

"Are those condoms?" he asks me, and I can't help but chuckle at his discomfort.

"Yes, Son. Not only do I want you monogamous, but I want you protected. You have a lot that you want to accomplish before having babies and you don't want to get stuck with any STDs." I leave him stunned as I walk over to the refrigerator for my morning glass of orange juice. After I pour myself a glass I join my son at the breakfast bar again. "Well?" I ask him.

"Um…. Thank you"

"You're welcome" I say after I gulp down some of the juice. "I meant what I said. As long as you are responsible and open with your girlfriend I am fine with what you are doing. But no sneaking around. Have you met Rebecca's parents yet?"

He sighs, and I already know the answer to this. "No, her parents are never in the same zip code at the same time. They're always traveling. But I have met her nanny."

I chuckle at that and almost spit out my orange juice. "She has a nanny?"

I stop when I see that my son is annoyed. "She's had the same nanny since she was four. She said that there were a whole bunch before that that didn't work out. This lady lives with her and looks out for her since her parents are never around."

I find this sad, that her parents would be away from their child so much. I can't stand being away from my kids even for a day. Perhaps that is why she became sexually active at such a young age. Her father wasn't around to look out for her. I'm determined to make sure that doesn't happen to Phoebe. I will always be here for her and I will make sure that she keeps communicating with her mother and me. Speaking of Phoebe, she just walked into the kitchen with Gail. I smile at her and she immediately walks over to me. I stand and give her a morning hug.

"Good morning Peanut." Gail begins preparing pancakes for breakfast while Phoebe sits at the bar with us. "Are you excited about going back to school?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm kinda nervous."

"Oh? What are you nervous about?"

"I was out for two weeks, what if the kids ask me where I've been?"

"You tell them it is none of their business" I snap back, but I didn't really mean to use that tone with her.

"That's kinda harsh, don't you think?" she asks me shyly as she sinks in her chair. I immediately change my tone.

"Well, Peanut it really isn't any of their business. But if you need an excuse just say you were sick again."

Gail serves the pancakes, and I'm happy to see my daughter eat. Teddy already had some cereal but he eats some pancakes too. Boy, this kid can eat, but he manages to stay so lean. I should have him come down to the gym with me. It would be good for him and a great opportunity for us to spend time together. I smile at the thought and my kids catch me. They both look at me funny.

"What?" Teddy asks me while he still has food in his mouth.

"Nothing, just eat, and don't talk with food in your mouth." Even though I've just scolded my son my tone is light and I still have a smile on my face. He laughs it off and continues to eat. After I eat two pancakes and some fruit I leave the kitchen to help Ana with Natalie.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

When I get to school I immediately meet up with Ava at our locker. She jumps for joy when she sees me, like she hasn't seen me in months. She did come by to visit me last week before the trial. Boy, am I glad that's over. I just hope to God that the other kids don't figure out that I was the student that was beaten by Braxton. My Dad managed to keep my involvement out of the press. Law enforcement has been great about it too. They were instructed to keep my involvement a secret. I don't think I could handle Seattle poking and prodding into my personal life any more than they already have. This is definitely something I don't want to be associated with, Braxton's arrest, trial and sentencing. I'm hoping to put all of it completely behind me once Braxton is sentenced. Speaking of which, I wonder if we'll get a new headmaster. Braxton is probably going to be in jail for a long time.

"I'm so glad you're back. I don't think I could have stomached another lunch alone with the Doyle twins." Ava came back to school last week after Braxton was arrested, but my parents kept me home for another week. They wanted to keep me home until after the trial. I'm grateful for that, but this is what I need. Normal. Even though my life is anything but normal, I need to do normal things like go to school and go to dance class and listen to the latest gossip from Ava. After saying a brief hello to some of my friends we walk to the auditorium for a last minute assembly for all freshmen.

I sit next to Ava and watch as the man standing on the stage struggles to quiet the crowd. Once everyone is silent he starts his speech in the microphone.

"Good morning, thank you all for joining me here today. I know this was last minute so I will make it brief and get you back to your classes. My name is Mr Benjamin Dover."

Ava starts to giggle, as do some of the other students. I don't get it right away until I hear someone whisper his name as Ben Dover. I look to the stage again and notice that he doesn't seem too offended by the soft laughter and chatter.

"Right, laugh it up. You will address me as Mr Dover. I will be taking over as headmaster of The Maynard School effective immediately. You will start to see some positive changes around this school. I plan on becoming familiar with each of you during the next three years of your education. While I do that I look forward to speaking with each of you and hearing some ideas on how we can improve our school."

I glance over at Ava and notice that she is mesmerized. Her mouth is open. I've never seen her like this. I look back at the stage and then at her again. I elbow her but she doesn't take her eyes off the stage. "Isn't he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" _What? "_I'll bend over for him any day."

I can't believe I am hearing this from Ava. She has a crush on our new headmaster? How….gross! I look at the stage again and notice that he does look pretty young, for taking over such a big role of our school. He can't be more than thirty. I thought you had to be old to be a headmaster. He continues by telling us that he graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor in Psychology. "Phoebe I cannot believe that our new headmaster is this hot!"

"Shhh, you're going to get us in trouble" I warn her with a whisper.

"So?" she says a bit louder. Uh oh, he's looking at us now. This is it, his first day as headmaster and we are already in trouble. My stomach starts to knot before he even says a word.

"You there" he calls, but he is only referring to Ava. Relief starts to set in as I realize that he is only talking to Ava. "What is your name, young lady?"

"Avalon Grey" my cousin answers him with determination. This is humiliating. Everyone is looking in our direction now. I wish I could crawl under my seat and hide. Instead I sink down in my seat, but Ava keeps her back straight and her eyes on Mr Dover.

"I will see you in detention, Miss Grey. And for those of you that are not familiar, detention is held immediately after the last bell in from B104. You best be there and on time unless you are seeking further punishment."

I cringe as he finishes, but Ava is not affected by the threat. She actually seems very pleased with herself. After Mr Dover dismisses us there is enough noise in the auditorium for me to talk to Ava.

"What was that?" I ask her.

"Phoebe, look at him, he is so hot. And I get to have detention with him." She is pleased with herself. She doesn't seem like Ava at all. I guess this is what she's like when she's crushing on somebody. She's been dating Brad since the masquerade fundraiser, but she doesn't act anything like this around him. Time for a reality check.

"Ava, he's the new headmaster. Even if he does show any interest in you, nothing can happen."

"I know" she snaps at me, but she keeps a goofy grin on her face. "A girl can dream though. I wonder if he'll spank me."

Just the idea of it hits me like a ton of bricks. I can't breathe. I immediately get upset, and suddenly I cannot look at her anymore. I take my books and I walk away from her. I am almost in tears but I am able to suppress them. While in the hall I run into Teddy and Rebecca. He has his arm around her. Teddy notices that something isn't right with me, and in true Teddy fashion he doesn't let it go until I talk to him. He kisses Rebecca goodbye first and she leaves for her next class.

He faces me and puts his hands on my arms. "Phoebs, come on tell me what happened."

Now that I'm away from Ava I'm able to calm down. I take a breath and attempt to blow my brother off. I'm afraid that if I tell him about what Ava said it will make me cry. "I'm okay Teddy, I'm just a little weirded out by being back."

He looks into my eyes and tries to read me. He has gray eyes like Dad, and as I look back at him I swear I feel like it is Dad that is talking to me. He is so much like our father. His facial expressions, his hair, his patience and understanding toward me, his voice which is becoming more and more like Dad's every day. He is about four inches shorter than Dad and not as muscular, he also has a more sensitive side like Mom. But he is mostly Dad. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I manage to smile lightly at him and he lets go of my arms. "We met the new headmaster in our assembly."

"Oh yeah? So that's what the assembly is about. The juniors get to go after sixth period."

I am a lot calmer now, so I decide to tell him about Ava's reaction to Mr Dover. "I think Ava has a crush on him."

"What?" Oh good, so Teddy thinks this is wrong too.

"She has detention after school today, and she's happy about it" I continue.

"Is she out of her mind?" Teddy runs his hand through his hair, another thing he picked up from Dad. He looks over and sees Ava before I do. "You got detention?"

Wow, he really does sound like Dad. He has his anger too.

Ava just shrugs at him. "No big deal"

"No big deal? Damn it, Ava" Teddy scolds her. I find it kind of amusing and I have to suppress a giggle.

"What are you, my father?" Ava snaps at him. "No, you're not, so back off and let me talk to Phoebe"

Uh oh, I don't want to talk to Ava. I'm upset about her inappropriate comment and I'd rather not discuss it here in the middle of A wing. I am saved when the warning bell rings. I say goodbye to Teddy and rush off to my next class. I don't say a word to Ava, and I don't care if she gets mad at me. Let her. She needs to know that she crossed the line.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ava's POV

"What's eating her?"

Teddy scowls at her. "Ava, Phoebe told me you have a thing for our new headmaster."

"What?" I can't believe she told him that. What is wrong with her?

"Whatever you are thinking about, forget it. You cannot start this shit again like you did with Mr Weston." I smile at the memory of the gorgeous chemistry teacher, but Teddy interrupts my thoughts as he continues to scold me. "Ava, are you listening to me?"

"Teddy, take a chill pill. I'm not going to try anything." I say to him, and I see him start to calm down. So this is what it would be like to have an older brother. No wonder Phoebe is so reluctant to take risks. Anytime she so much as has a toe out of line, she'd have her father _and_ her brother to answer to. Speaking of Phoebe, why did she rush off like that? Like she was trying to get away from me. "What's wrong with Phoebe?"

"I don't know" he says regrettably. "You better get to class, you already have detention."

I scowl at him when he walks away. Since when does he tell me what to do?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

I sit alone at lunch during sixth period until Ava joins me with her tray. I don't make eye contact with her, and she doesn't say anything right away. I pick at the sandwich that Mrs Taylor made for me. After a few seconds she speaks first.

"I thought about why you are mad at me" she says softly. This is very un-Ava like. I am so surprised by her tone I chance a peak at her. "Phoebe, I am so stupid for what I said. I wasn't thinking. I'm am so sorry. Can you please forgive me?"

I look down at my sandwich again and pick at it some more. "Why would you want him to spank you?"

"It just came out of my mouth. When I saw him up on that stage I felt some things, wrong things, but at the time it didn't feel wrong. Does that make sense?"

"No" I answer her honestly. Because it doesn't make sense to me. "I can't say I've ever wanted a guy to spank me."

"Me neither." She sounds appalled with herself. I look up at her and I think she's even embarrassed. "I'm really sorry, Phoebe. After what you've been through….."

"It's okay. Forget it." I'm still upset with Ava for what she said, but I don't want to continue being mad at her. She's my cousin and my best friend. I love her. And I know she wouldn't purposely hurt me. I smile at her to further prove that we are okay, and she smiles back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After dance class is over I walk out and see my Dad waiting for me. Taylor must have dropped him off since Sawyer is still here. He hangs up with whoever he was talking to on his blackberry to greet me. "Hey Peanut, ready to go home?" I nod and he opens the car door for me. I climb in and he walks around the car and climbs in next to me. He is still wearing his gray business suit but he has already loosened his tie. "Home please Sawyer"

We drive in silence for a few minutes while Dad sends what he promises will be his last email. I watch him put away his blackberry and his mood immediately changes from stressed CEO to fun loving Dad. "So how was school today?"

"It was okay" I answer him. Because it really was, other than what happened with Ava. But I much rather not bring that up with Dad.

"Just okay?"

"Yeah, you know, it was…. normal. Just a normal day. I went to my classes, saw my friends, got some homework. I'm really glad I want back."

"That's great Phoebe." He smiles at me. So this is what it's like to have a bit of normal in our day. Mom and Dad go to work, Teddy and I go to school, I go to dance, I go home and I get to have dinner with my family. As of this moment there is no drama in our family. No more Jay or Mr Braxton making problems for me, no more Teddy keeping Rebecca a secret from Mom and Dad, no being grounded, well today anyway, this feels really good. I finally feel myself start to relax, and I can feel Dad smiling at me. I look over at him and I start to giggle. Before I know it he is reaching over and he is tickling me under my ribs. I can't get him to stop so I'm left with laughing out loud as he continues the torture.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

After I check on the kids one last time I turn in with Ana. She is putting Natalie in the pack 'n play that we keep in our bedroom. Sometimes we have Natalie sleep in her nursery so we can have our alone time and kinky fuckery. But sometimes we keep her in here with us so we can easily wake up and feed her with formula we keep in a mini refrigerator in our bedroom. I walk up to Ana and put my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. We both look down at our sleeping daughter and take in the peace that a sleeping baby brings to a room. After we see that she is settled I reach down and scoop my wife up in my arms. She covers her mouth and has to suppress a squeal since the baby is asleep. I can't help but let out a light chuckle myself. I love these moments with my wife. I love being playful with her sometimes while dominate some other times. We have our role playing and we have our vanilla.

"What would you like to do Mrs Grey?" I ask her softly.

"Mmm, surprise me, Mr Grey"

I smile at her wickedly. I feel so giddy right now. I love what she does to me. "With pleasure, Mrs Grey."

I deposit her on the bed and decide on some plain old vanilla. In my mind I tell myself that it is because Natalie is in the room, but really, I like our vanilla. I like anything and everything with my wife. And I thank my lucky stars every day that she'll have me.

After we remove our clothes and I'm on top of her, kissing her, a thought comes to mind. "Mmm, this feels so…. normal"


	33. Big Unsettling

A few days and nights have passed for the Greys. Phoebe has returned to school and seems to have recovered from her ordeal. Teddy and Rebecca's relationship is strong, but he's yet to meet her parents. Christian and Ana have spent three full days at work before coming home to enjoy their family time. It almost seems impossible for them to go a full week without any drama finding their family. And suddenly at three in the morning, Ana wakes with a jolt and a bad feeling. She sits up in bed and puts her hand on her forehead, trying to figure out the source the panic that is rising her in chest. She finds it difficult to breath. Christian opens his eyes and sees that his wife is distressed. He immediately sits up and gently puts his hands on her, careful not to startle her.

"Ana, Baby, what is it?"

Ana has been struggling to take a few breaths, but having her husband there with her makes it easier for her to breath. After a few seconds of breathing in and out and with Christian rubbing one of her arms, she starts to calm down.

"Bad dream?" he asks her lightly, trying to coax her to talk.

Ana shakes her head. "I don't know, I don't remember having a bad dream."

Christian is confused. He continues to rub his hand up and down her arm since it seems to help soothe her. "Okay, so what's got you so rattled?"

"Christian" she finally says. "I just have this really bad feeling. Something's not right."

Christian gently puts his arm around her and guides her head to rest on his shoulder. He holds her and rubs his hand up and down her back. After a few minutes he comes up with an idea. "How 'bout we check on the kids. Will that make you feel better?"'

She nods and pulls away from him. They both climb out of bed and check on Natalie. She's asleep. She will be awake again in about an hour for a bottle. When he is satisfied that Natalie is settled Christian puts his hands on Ana's shoulders, kisses her head and guides her out of their bedroom. They check on Teddy next. He is asleep. Christian stands in the doorway and watches as Ana walks slowly into the room and over to his bed. She gently strokes his unruly copper hair and plants a kiss on his forehead. He doesn't wake up. When Ana is satisfied she leaves the room and Christian follows her to Phoebe's room. They open the door slowly and see that she is awake and doing something with her phone.

"Phoebe!" Ana softly scolds, and Phoebe jumps since she wasn't expecting it. She tries to hide her phone under her covers so that they don't see that she's been texting with Caleb, but it's too late.

"Phoebe, it's late. Why are you awake?" Christian asks her.

Phoebe gulps before she answers. She doesn't want them to find out about Caleb. She quickly covers. "I couldn't sleep, so I started to play a game on my phone. I thought it would make me tired." She's half telling the truth. She really couldn't go back to sleep after waking from a bad dream. This has become a nightly occurrence for her.

Ana and Christian both sigh and look at each other. They had a feeling that Phoebe still had trouble sleeping, even if she didn't admit it when they asked her about being tired at dinner. This is their proof. Christian starts to feel guilty for not pressing her about it when he suspected she still wasn't sleeping.

"I'll stay with her. Are you going to be okay?" he asks Ana as he pushes her hair out of her face. She nods and gives him a kiss before retreating back to their bedroom. Christian closes the door and climbs onto the bed with Phoebe. He lies on top of the covers and has her rest her head on his chest, just as he's done several nights when she couldn't sleep.

"Why didn't you tell me you were still having trouble sleeping?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I felt bad, you always have to take care of me."

"You know I don't mind. I love taking care of you" he says as he gently stokes her hair.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"No, never. I told you, I'm always going to be there for you, even if you think you are too old to have me be there for you. Understand?" He stops stroking her hair and waits for her to answer.

"Yes. Thanks Dad" she says with a yawn.

"Welcome, Peanut. Now get some sleep."

Phoebe closes her eyes and she is instantly asleep. Christian lies awake for a few extra minutes and continues to stroke her hair until he can see that she is settled. He thinks about going back to his room with Ana, but he might wake Phoebe if he moves. He decides to stay. He closes his eyes and easily doses off.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day Christian is busy at work with conference calls with employees he has working for him in Taiwan. He had received a call early in the morning informing him of a big problem with one of the projects he has going on out there, and he must make arrangements to correct the problem. He is on his third call with them when Andrea interrupts him. He immediately gets annoyed, but he knows that Andrea would only interrupt him if it were a true emergency. He makes the people on the conference call wait while he moves to another room to take the other call.

"Grey" he says into the phone. He listens to the caller for a few seconds, and his angry CEO demeanor quickly changes to heart sick family man. He is speechless. After the call he has to take a few minutes to collect himself. This has never happened to him before. This is something he's never experienced before and it is completely out of his control. He is frustrated, and angry, and sad, and he also starts to feel sick. He has to suppress that quickly when he realizes where he is. He is still at work, and he left about ten people on hold on a conference call. He could actually care less about that right now. He instructs Andrea to end that call for him and reschedule all of his appointments for the day. He leaves in a huff and has Taylor drive him home. While he's in the car he phones his wife. He doesn't know what to say to her, but when she answers he has to think fast.

"Hi Baby." She sounds so cheery, like she's having a good day. His heart breaks even more because what he is going to tell her will change that. "I have good news, we signed Nikki Donaldson today. She has a whole series of…."

"Ana" he interrupts her, and he has a lump in his throat.

"Christian? Are you okay?" she asks, and her cheery mood fades and changes to concern for her husband.

"Yes, well no. I'm on my way home. Can you meet me there?"

Ana hesitates for a moment. It's been a while since her husband's asked her to leave work early for a booty call, but this doesn't feel like that kind of call. He doesn't sound like her normal seductive husband. He sounds sad and nervous. She agrees to leave immediately and meet him at home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Rebecca are at her parent's house in her bedroom. They immediately went there after school, knowing that nobody would be there. Except of course her nanny, but Rebecca's never had a problem with sneaking boys into her room while in her care. Soft music is playing as they make out and remove each other's clothes. Rebecca decides on role reversal and ties Teddy to her bed. He breathes heavily as she kisses him, starting at his mouth, moving down to his chest, his abs, his happy trail, and eventually his erection. She teases him for a few sections before she fills her mouth. Teddy groans as she continues the sensual torture. He moans her name and warns her that he is about to come, but she doesn't stop. He says her name again, this time with determination. She stops and removes her mouth just before he comes, and then positions herself on top of him. She unties his hands so that she can use them to support herself as she moves. She continues until they both find their climax. She collapses on top of him and they lie together until they both gain control of their breathing.

"I love you" Teddy eventually says to her, and she is stunned. She looks up and their eyes meet, and Teddy immediately regrets blurting it out. Even though he means it, she probably doesn't feel the same way. Sure they've had sex, they've been spending a lot of time together, his family has accepted her as his girlfriend, and his father has accepted their kinky activities. But maybe that's all she wanted him for. A sex partner, not love. But she surprises him when she grins.

"I love you too Teddy"

Now Teddy is stunned. He sits up, which forces Rebecca to sit up too. Teddy keeps his arms around her and continues to stare into her eyes. "You don't have to say it, just because I…."

Rebecca stops him but putting her index finger on his lips. "I'm not just saying it" she says softly. "That's how I feel. I love you."

They both smile giddily and Teddy leans his forehead against hers.

After a few minutes of silence and just enjoying each other, Rebecca speaks up. "So, what would you like to do now, Teddy Grey?"

"I want to meet your parents."

Rebecca backs away and she is stunned again. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I don't want to sneak around with you. Although, that has been fun, I think it's important that your family accepts me as your boyfriend, just as mine has accepted you."

Rebecca is touched, and nervous. She barely spends time with her parents. She's only introduced one boyfriend to them, and they've never liked him. She's not sure how her parents will react to Teddy, but she knows that she needs to do this. "Okay. Let's get dressed. I think my mother is going to be home soon."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is pacing in the main room, waiting for Ana. He has news for her that is going to crush her, and he has to deliver the news. He's tried to go over it in his head a few times, and he still cannot figure out how to tell her. He's never had to deal with this kind of news. He's known her for nineteen years. They've shared a marriage and three beautiful children. They've had their ups and downs with each other and their families, but never anything like this. He runs his hand through his hair and turns when he senses her standing at the door way. She is so beautiful with her brown hair hanging down her chest and back. Her white silk blouse and her gray skirt. Her black stilettos. She slowly walks over to Christian and is welcomed into his waiting arms. He hugs her tight and tries to delay the inevitable. He knows he needs to tell her. This news has to come from him. No one else.

"Christian what is it?" she asks him as she pulls out of his embrace, but his hands are still holding both of hers.

"We should sit down." Christian has his wife sit on the couch and he keeps her hands inside of his. He looks into his wife's worried eyes, so heartbreaking what he has to tell her. He doesn't like this look and he knows he's not going to like the look she gives him once he says it. Once the words leave his mouth there will be no going back.

"Christian?" Ana is getting impatient. She is really worried now. When Christian has trouble telling her something she knows that it has to be bad.

"Jose Rodriguez phoned me today."

"Oh?" she asks and gives him a confused look. _Why would Jose call Christian?_

"He told me something…." Christian keeps his voice light and he continues to struggle. "Ana, Baby….. Ray passed away this morning."

Ana gasps and pulls one hand out of Christian's grasp, holding it to her mouth. She immediately finds it hard to breathe again, just like early in the morning when she woke up. That had to be the bad feeling. "Daddy, gone? No." She continues to struggle to breathe. She puts her hand on her chest and the tears start to fall. Christian pulls her into a hug and rubs her back. She cries hard into his shoulder when she realizes that what he just told her is true. Ray is gone. Christian also has tears in his eyes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Rebecca walk into her kitchen hand in hand and encounter her mother. Mrs Lincoln is on her cell phone conducting business. She is a successful realtor, and she is always busy with meetings in her office and on her cell phone. When she sees her daughter she smiles, but then she turns away to continue conducting her business. When she ends the call she looks at her daughter again.

"Becca, who's your friend?"

"Mom, this is….." she starts to introduce Teddy but they are interrupted when her cell phone rings.

"Just a second, Honey, I need to take this." She answers her phone and turns away again to talk business. Rebecca rolls her eyes and Teddy looks down at her. They wait for Mrs Lincoln to end her call to try again.

"Sorry Sweetie, you were saying?"

"Mom, this is Teddy, we've been seeing each other"

"How do you do Mrs Lincoln?" Teddy asks and extends his hand to her. She shakes his hand and smiles, but they are once again interrupted when her cell phone rings.

"Excuse me"

This time she walks further away from them to talk. Teddy looks at Rebecca again and can see the embarrassment and sadness in her face. "Does this happen often?"

"What, that damn cell phone? Yes. Can't even get two words in."

Teddy frowns. How can her mother treat her this way? She talks on the cell phone more than she talks to her daughter. They watch as she ends the call again and walks back toward them. She grabs a wine glass from the cupboard and pours herself some white wine. Teddy is annoyed, and he somehow finds the courage to scold Mrs Lincoln for neglecting her daughter this way.

"Mrs Lincoln, I can't help but notice that we've been in the room for fifteen minutes and you still haven't said a word to me. Your daughter had just introduced me as someone that she's been seeing. Don't you have anything to say about that?"

Rebecca looks up at Teddy and is surprised. Her mother is surprised too. None of Rebecca's friends have ever been so cross with her. Mrs Lincoln takes a sip of her wine.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I don't like your tone."

"I don't like that you ignore your daughter."

"Teddy!" Rebecca hisses.

"No" he says to Rebecca and holds his hand in front of her. He looks back at Mrs Lincoln. "If you've been paying attention to her you would have probably figured out that we've been seeing each other for months. And I haven't met you or her father until now?"

"Teddy, please" Rebecca begs him to stop.

"That's enough. Rebecca's father and I are extremely busy, but we've always made sure that our daughter is provided for. How dare you come into my house and accuse me of neglecting my daughter?" Mrs Lincoln is shouting now. It is the wine talking. She often drinks wine throughout the day and it causes her to lash out at her daughter and husband at night, which is why they avoid her. Rebecca doesn't want Teddy to know that, so she works to usher him out of the kitchen.

"Can we please go? Please?"

Teddy is angry. He shoots one last glare at Mrs Lincoln before he leaves the kitchen with Rebecca.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Sawyer drops Phoebe off at the library and waits outside for her. She told him that she only needed an hour to do some work on her paper. She climbs to the second floor and is greeted by Caleb. He gives her a hug and they both sit at one of the tables. This is the only way for Phoebe to see Caleb without anyone knowing since Sawyer doesn't watch her while she's in the library. He doesn't think she can get herself into any trouble with the one hour that she spends at the library, and since she is a frequent visitor she knows her family and security guards won't suspect that something is up. They sit and work on homework together.

"I know this isn't the ideal date, but…." Phoebe starts but she is interrupted.

"No, it's okay. I get it. I know that you constantly have security, and your father doesn't want you to see me. I'm just grateful that you're spending time with me."

Phoebe smiles and tries to go back to working on her paper, but she is distracted by the cute young college student grinning at her. She looks up and catches him grinning.

"What?" she asks with laugh.

"Nothing. You're just not so bad to look at, that's all." He casually looks down at his book and pretends to go back to reading.

Phoebe blushes. "You're not so bad yourself."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana sit holding each other in the main room. Ana is still crying, but she's gained control of her breathing. She sniffles as Christian continues to rub his hand up and down her back.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye. I didn't say goodbye to him" she says tearfully. "And now he's gone forever."

"I'm sorry Baby" he says to her softly. Christian has never lost anyone close to him. Other than his birth mother, who died when he was four, he's never had to experience a loss as great as this one. He's never had to deal with this kind of pain and grief. He is not sure how to help his wife through this, how to help his kids through this. He continues to rub her back and kiss her hair. They sit in silence like this for a long time, and the only sound that can be heard is her sniffling.

"We have to tell the kids" she finally says.

"I'll do it" Christian tells her.

Ana sits up and Christian leaves go of her. She rubs the tears out of her eyes in an effort to compose herself. She is a mother now, so she needs to maintain some strength while she grieves for her father. She knows that she needs to be strong for her kids. She cannot fall apart like she would have if she were still twenty one. "We will tell them together."

"Are you sure?" Christian asks her as he takes one of her hands in his.

Ana nods. "Yes. We need to do this together. They loved Ray too, so this is going to be hard for them."

Christian tucks her hair behind her ear. "You don't need to be so strong Ana. I know this hurts."

Ana nods again, but quicker this time. She wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "Yes it does. I don't want Ray to be gone. He was my father in every way that counts and I loved him. And our kids loved him. We need to talk to them and make sure that they can talk to us."

Christian gives in. He rubs his hand through her hair and tucks some more strands behind her hair. He leans toward her and kisses her forehead. "Okay. We will both be there for our kids. And I will be there for you. Okay?"

Ana nods and she lets the tears fall freely from her eyes again. Christian pulls her toward him and holds her again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

About thirty minutes later Christian walks into the main room with Natalie in his arms. He joins Ana who is still sitting on the couch talking on the phone. Teddy and Phoebe are due home soon so they know they will need to talk to them about Ray.

"Thank you Jose. I'll call you with the arrangements…. Okay, bye." She clicks her cell phone off and looks down at it, tears still falling from her face.

"You called Jose?" Christian asks her softly has he holds their baby girl and kisses her head.

"Yes, I wanted to thank him for calling you instead of me." Christian sits down next to Ana and reaches over to dry her tears with his thumb. "I need to um…. make arrangements."

"Tomorrow" he says. "We'll do it tomorrow. I will help you."

"Thank you"

"For what?"

"For being an amazing husband and father. I hate that I have to go through this, I know I wouldn't be able to do it without you." Ana almost starts to cry again but does her best to stop herself. She knows that Teddy and Phoebe will be home soon and she doesn't want her tearstained face to be the first thing they see. Christian is still holding Natalie, but he reaches one arm out and pulls Ana toward him to hold her again. He kisses her head, and then kisses Natalie's head again. They stay like that and wait for their kids to return home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When Teddy and Phoebe arrive home Christian has them join him and Ana in the main room. They look at their mother and the immediately sense that something isn't right, but they can't put their finger on it.

Phoebe starts to feel pain in her stomach as she thinks about her time with Caleb. _Oh no, they know_.

Teddy can't think of anything that he's done wrong, so he's confused. He looks down at Phoebe to see her reaction. She's as white as a sheet. But Christian and Ana are too focused on the sad news that they have to share with their kids to notice. Christian has them sit down and they both are quick to obey.

"We have some sad news that we have to tell you" Christian starts as he puts his arm around Ana.

"It's about Grandpa Ray" Ana says softly, but she didn't mean for her voice to sound so weak.

"What happened?" Teddy asks with worry in his voice.

"Grandpa Ray passed away this morning" Christian says after he looks down at Ana. They both look at their kids and wait for their reaction. They are silent. They don't know what more to say to their kids, and Teddy and Phoebe don't know what to say either. They've never had a death in the family.

"How?" Teddy finally asks.

"He had a heart attack. He died in his sleep this morning." Christian says softly. Teddy stands up and walks over to sit on the other side of his mother. He pulls her into his arms as they weep together.

"I'm sorry Mom"

Christian rubs Ana's back and looks over at Phoebe. She looks lost. She has her hands folded in her lap and she is looking out at the coffee table. "Phoebe?" he calls for her.

Phoebe shakes her head. She doesn't cry. "Grandpa's dead?" She honestly doesn't know how to feel about this. She doesn't feel the need to cry. This doesn't seem real to her. She doesn't really believe it. Christian stands and walks over to sit next to Phoebe. He puts his arm around her but she still doesn't cry. She just allows him to hold her. They both look over at Teddy and Ana. They are both crying as they hold each other.


	34. Big Arrangements

**_Wow! Thank you for all of the reviews. I'm so glad you are still enjoying this. I still have some ideas to keep going._**

**_Some of you have asked about Phoebe's reaction to hearing that her grandfather had just passed away. After I wrote this chapter I realized that I was Phoebe's age when I lost my grandfather. I was wrapped up in my own teenage stuff and I had a competition to go to the day it happened. Just like Ana, I had a bad feeling and I actually got dizzy and fainted before I even found out about his passing. But when I did find out, I didn't cry. I was probably in denial. I loved my grandfather but I didn't see him a lot. I didn't get upset until the funeral, when I saw my aunts and uncles cry. They've never cried in front of me, so seeing that really upset me more than anything. Christian didn't cry when he delivered the news, but if he did that would have made Phoebe cry too._**

**_I also want to clarify something about Rebecca and Elena. Elena is not Rebecca's mother. Rebecca's father is Robert, the cousin of Elena's ex-husband. I only threw that in there during the masquerade to cause temporary worry for Christian and Ana that Rebecca could have been related to Elena, but then I squashed that immediately in the same chapter. I don't plan on using Elena anymore in my story. Sorry to disappoint. I hope you enjoy what I have planned next for the Greys. Happy Reading!_**

* * *

Christian and Ana are in the main room. Soft classical music is playing from the iPod deck. It is Friday morning. They spend most Friday mornings at their respective jobs fulfilling their CEO duties, but today is an exception. They are in mourning, and there are arrangements that need to be made. Christian wanted Ana to relax before taking on the responsibility of planning her father's funeral, but Ana does not want to procrastinate. She does not want to put it off. She just wants to get right to it.

They had decided to allow Teddy and Phoebe to go to school. Sure they have lost their grandfather, but Christian wanted them to carry on with their normal activities and be away from the funeral arrangements. He's not sure how to help them grieve. He's not sure what the appropriate behavior is in a time like this, so he opts for normalcy. He had asked them how they felt about attending school, and both kids agreed that they should go as long as it was okay with their mother.

Christian sits on the couch next to Ana and puts his coffee and her tea the coffee table. He looks over at his wife and recalls the moment that he had to tell her of her father's passing. He's had many difficult moments with his wife, especially in the beginning when he had introduced her to each and every dark layer of his fifty shades. But somehow this is different. They are mourning the loss of someone so prominent in her lives. He is still not sure how to do that, or how to help her through it. This is not something he can control. He resorts to the only thing he knows, which is to look after her and take care of her. She is flipping through what appears to be an old photo album. He reaches over and gently puts his hand on her cheek and rubs his thumb up and down.

"Hey"

She looks up at him with sorrowful eyes. "Hey yourself."

"What do you have there?"

Ana manages a smile as she looks down at the album in her lap. "While you were in the shower I climbed into the attic and dug this out."

Christian raises an eyebrow. "Why didn't you have me get it for you?"

"I didn't know what I was looking for, but I knew I would know when I found it. And I did." She looks down at the album again fondly and flips one of the pages over. "These are pictures from when I was little, some are from when Ray was married to my mother, and some are from when I lived with him."

Ana shifts closer to her husband and puts the album in his lap. She rests her head on his shoulder as they look through it together. Ray pushing Ana on a swing, Ray and Ana at the zoo, Ray and Ana visiting a farm, Ray, Ana and Carla at one of Ana's youth graduations.

"What's this?" Christian asks as he picks up a paper bracelet.

Ana puts her hands on it and observes it as well. "This is my hospital bracelet from when I was in a car accident. I was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and when I woke up, Ray was there, holding my hand. He felt so guilty even though it was the other driver's fault."

"You were so beautiful Ana" he says to her lovingly as he looks at more pictures from when she was a young child and teenager. "And now you are my beautiful, hot, sexy wife." He kisses her lips. "Mine"

Ana moans. "Are you trying to distract me, Mr Grey?"

"Maybe, is it working?"

Ana smiles coyly at her husband. As much as she'd like for her husband to take her right there on the couch and make her forget about the sadness in her heart, she knows that now is not the time for that. "I love you so much for taking care of me, but I need to focus on these arrangements."

"No, Anastasia" he says to her softly but sternly. "_We_ need to focus on these arrangements. There's no way in hell I'm letting you do this alone."

Ana starts to tear up at his words. Even after being married to this man for eighteen years he manages to amaze her. "Okay then. _We_. So, where do you think we should start?"

"We should start with where you would like to have the service."

Ana shrugs and gives it a long thought. "Wow, I haven't even thought of that. I would like to have it here, in Seattle, but all of his friends are in Portland."

"So, we'll fly all of his friends up for the service. We can put them up at a hotel." Christian's tone is soft but he is talking in his CEO voice. "We should have Jose put a list together of all of his friends that will come for the service."

"You want Jose's help?" Ana is shocked, since Christian would still rather act as though Jose didn't exist in their lives. They don't see him very often, but when they do, Christian would act civil but not go out of his way to make Jose feel welcome.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Christian asks. He pouts and looks away from her.

"I'm sorry Baby, you're just so repulsed by him. It was surprising to hear."

Christian looks at Ana again with hurt in his face. "He's your friend Ana, and I know I had problems with that in the past, but…."

"But?" Ana tries to coax him to go on.

"He called me with the news, Ana. Not you. I think that says a lot about his character. He knew that that wasn't the kind of news for you to hear over the phone. So he made sure to have me break the news to you." He puts his hand in her hair and strokes it. "I'm very grateful for that, that he had the forethought of calling me instead of you."

"He knew that you would take good care of me."

He kisses her mouth gently while he still has his hand in her hair. "Always, Baby."

Christian and Ana continue to make arrangements. They decide to have the service in Seattle and they will have the reception in their backyard. They spend the day calling places and decide to hire a funeral director to assist with the service. Ray will be transferred to a funeral home down town where they will hold the viewing and service. After arranging the funeral director and the caterers, Christian decides that it is time for a break.

"Christian, I don't want to go out." Ana says with a whine in her tone. She is dressed in her sweats and her hair is a mess.

Christian ignores the whining and takes her hand. "Baby, it will be good for you to get some air. And we can make some more arrangements while we are out.

"Can't we just stay here?"

"No" Christian says firmly. "We are going out. Would you like a shower before we leave?"

Ana frowns. "I prefer a bath."

Christian grins at her. "Bath it is then."

Christian leads his wife into their bedroom and draws the bath. He helps her undress and holds her hand as she climbs in. Christian uses bath salts and a soothing scented jasmine bubble bath. Ana leans back and closes her eyes, instantly feeling the calm that a good bath drawn by her husband can bring.

"Good?" he asks her. She responds with a smile and a light moan. "I want to wash your hair. Sit up."

Ana obeys and allows Christian to tend to her while he is on the outside of the tub, fully dressed. Although she prefers to have him join her, this feels good too. She no longer associates this gesture with the way he tended to Leila all those years ago. Christian has never allowed her to feel broken while caring for her in such a way. Before Teddy was born, she wouldn't allow Christian to bathe her from outside of the tub. But once they had babies and wanted to bathe with them, she had come to enjoy having her husband wash her and their children this way. She also enjoyed having Christian in the tub with their babies while she washed them. She never thought he would allow her to do that, but her fifty is always full of surprises.

She watches as he rolls up his sleeves and pours shampoo into his hands. He works the soap into a lather and then puts his hands in her hair, gently scrubbing her hair and her scalp. She closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling of his hands in her hair. After a few minutes of massaging her scalp he has her tilt her head back and rinses. After the soap is out of her hair he repeats the process with the conditioner. "How's that?" he asks her softly.

"It's heaven." Her voice is barely a whisper as he rinses the conditioner from her hair. He lets out a light chuckle. He loves what he can do to his wife with little effort. After he finishes he leans in and kisses her forehead. "Thank you" she says softly.

"Welcome Baby." He puts the loufa in her hands for her to wash her skin. "I need to take care of a few things. I'll be back to help you finish."

Christian leaves to check and make sure Gail is all sorted with taking care of Natalie for the afternoon. When he returns he finds Ana hugging herself in the bath and looking down. He squats down and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"Baby?"

Ana shakes her head as she continues to stare down at the water. Christian undresses and climbs in so that he is sitting behind her. He pulls her back and holds her against him, running his hand up and down her arm. She rests her head against his chest and allows him to provide her with comfort. They sit in silence like this for a while, which is exactly what she needs. She doesn't want to verbalize her feelings right now. Loss is something new to her, new to both of them. She doesn't know how to act, or how to stop this aching feeling in her chest. She wants to cry, and at the same time she doesn't want to cry. Crying would imply that she is surrendering herself to the fact that Ray is really gone. Even though she is arranging a funeral, she is not quite ready to allow herself to go to that place yet, where she will go on living in a world where her father no longer exists.

After some time Christian whispers to her. "I think it's time to get out of the bath, Mrs Grey."

Ana nods and lifts herself off of his chest so that he can climb out of the tub. He wraps a towel around himself and then holds her hand as she climbs out. He wraps a big towel around her and then pulls her to him again, holding her and kissing her head. "This is so hard, Christian." she mumbles into his chest.

"I know Baby, but we will get through it together."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana stares out the window as Taylor drives them through Seattle. Christian is holding her hand as they travel in silence. When they arrive at their destination, Christian climbs out of the car and opens Ana's door. He takes her hand and helps her out. She looks around and realizes that they are at a cemetery.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asks him.

"Well, we need to find a resting place for Ray, so I thought we should take a drive and personally check out the ambiance of this place."

Ana leaves go of Christian's hand and slowly walks toward the cemetery, taking in the peace and quiet. She hugs herself as she looks around. Christian stays back and watches his wife as she absorbs her peaceful surroundings. There are trees and flowers and countless tombstones marking graves of many loved ones that have passed. The only sounds filling their air are from birds chirping and light spring winds. "It's so peaceful" she says softly.

Christian slowly walks up to his wife and wraps his arms around her from behind. He kisses her head and waits for her next move. She turns around so that she is facing him. "This is perfect Christian. It's quiet and peaceful and everything that my father was. I think this is what he would want." She says this with tears in her eyes. This is a step closer to her accepting her father's passing. Here they are, standing and embracing in the space that will soon be Ray's final resting place. Christian holds her close as she takes this all in. She allows the tears to fall as she is wrapped in his arms. This is a new reality for her. This is where she will have to come from now on when she wants to visit Ray. Instead of embracing him and holding conversation with him, she will be bringing flowers to plant at his tombstone and holding a one-sided conversation. The thought of this gives her a chill and she starts to shiver.

"Cold?" Christian asks her as he pulls her away slightly to look at her face. Ana nods. He reaches up and puts his hand in her hair. "Time to eat, Mrs Grey. Shall I feed you at a restaurant or at home?"

Ana doesn't want to think about food right now, but she decides not to argue. "Home" she says softly.

"Home it is." Christian grins at her and kisses her head. He takes her hand and leads her back to the car where Taylor is waiting.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are back in the main room. He is feeding his wife a grilled cheese sandwich that Mrs Taylor had prepared. Ana notices that Christian keeps checking his watch. "Hot date?"

"What?" Christian gives his wife a confused look.

"You keep looking at your watch. What's going on with you?" Christian looks away from his wife and puts the empty plate on the coffee table. "You're not going to tell me?"

"Baby, the only hot date I will ever have is with you." He leans in and kisses her, and Ana knows that this is a distraction. She welcomes the distraction and allows him to keep kissing her until Taylor interrupts them by clearing his throat. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Ana watches as her husband walks out of the room with Taylor. She is annoyed with the secrecy, but immediately squashes that when she sees the source of her husband's secrecy enter the room. Suddenly all of the hurt and pain that she worked so hard to keep inside of her all day starts to burst. "Mom!" she cries out and scrambles off of the couch.

Carla walks further into the room and is met with a strong embrace by Ana. Carla starts to cry, and Ana just loses it. She starts to sob in her mother's arms. Christian stands back and just watches. He hates to see his wife in this state, but he knew that it would be good for Ana's mother to come to Seattle early to be with her while she grieves.

"You're really here." Ana says as she pulls away and tries to dry her tears. Carla reaches up and wipes some of the tears from her cheek. "Where's Scott?" she asks her, referring to her current significant other.

"He's touring right now with his band, but he's going to be here for the funeral." Christian slowly starts to walk toward them. "Your wonderful husband arranged for me to come early."

"Yeah, he is wonderful isn't he?" she says as she wraps an arm around him and continues to sniffle. "Thanks Baby." He kisses her head and wraps an arm around her. He rests his chin on top of her head.

Carla looks on and smiles with tears in her eyes. She is grateful that her daughter has had more luck with one solid husband than she has had with five. She sees the fire and the love that still exists between the two of them as they hold each other. "This is good" she says and is met with confused looks from the pair. "The love that you two share, that's what's going to get you through this. I am extremely grateful for that."

Ana smiles and snuggles more into her husband's chest, fully aware of just how lucky she is.


	35. Big Funeral

"_Annie, come out come out wherever you are. Annie?" I hear his voice coming from the hall and I can't help but giggle. I am sitting on the floor behind the couch hugging my knees, waiting for him to seek me out. His sing songy voice is my undoing. I continue to giggle, and before I know it, he's found me. He comes down to my level and proceeds to tickle me, making me laugh out loud. I always love playing this game with my Daddy, hide and seek. That is our game, no one else's. It is my turn to cover my eyes and count to ten. He usually hides where I can easily find him. After all, I am only four years old. But this time is different, I can't find him. I keep looking, and looking, and looking…._

"Steele?"

I hear Kate call my name and it snaps me out of my reverie. I look up at her and force a grin on my face. I am suddenly back at the reception for my father's funeral, snapped out of memories of a happy time. I have been sitting alone at one of the tables. How long have I've been spaced out?

"Where were you just now?"

"Playing hide and seek with Ray" I tell her as I look down at my engagement ring and wedding band, twisting them around my finger. I look up at her and see the regretful look in her eyes, the same look everyone's been giving me all week. It gets old. But somehow I feel more emotional when she gives me that look. I don't feel like I need to be strong when I'm around Kate. I feel my lips start to tremble and the tears start to threaten. "I miss him so much Kate. I miss his smile, his hugs, his voice calling me Annie. God, I'm never going to hear him call me Annie ever again." And then I lose it. Kate puts her arms around me and allows me to cry into her shoulder.

I've been able to keep it together for the most part today. Christian has been my rock all week as we planned the arrangements and today during the funeral. His arm was around me during the entire service and burial. I've asked him to take a break and check on Natalie. I know he didn't want to, but I insisted that I would be fine. Boy was I wrong.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

I see my mother break down in Aunt Kate's arms, and it doesn't sit well with me. I feel a sudden ache in my chest and the tears start to roll down my face. I have to get out of here. I can't let anyone see me. I immediately rush off to my bedroom and shut the door. When I'm satisfied that nobody has followed me I allow the tears to run freely down my face, the heavy sob starts to leave my throat, but I manage to suppress it when I realize that I have a text message. It's from Caleb.

**How are you doing with the funeral? Are you okay?**

What do I say to him? That I'm an emotional mess? I don't want to lie to him, but I also don't want to appear weak.

**I'm okay. Thanks for asking**.

I go with that. It's not really a lie. I have managed to calm down since seeing his text, so in a way I am okay.

**Are you sure?**

Oh, he would have to ask me that.

**It's a tough day. I want to talk about something else. What are you doing today?**

He responds and tells me that he is working on his thesis. Not the most entertaining of topics but I welcome the distraction and continue to text with him. I wipe the tears from my eyes and decide to sit in my closet while we chat. I feel like I can disappear from the world while I am in here.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian walks out into the yard where they are holding the reception. He sees his wife sitting at one of the tables with Kate and Mia and approaches her from behind. He leans down and kisses the top of her head. "Hey Baby." He pulls a chair over and sits next to his wife. When he notices that she's been crying he reaches up and dries a stray tear from her eye. "How's my wife doing?"

"Reminiscing" she says with a light smile. But he sees the sadness in her eyes. He reaches up and pushes her hair out of her face. "How are the kids?"

Christian looks around and sees Teddy, but not Phoebe. "Natalie's napping. Teddy's right over there. I haven't seen Phoebe. Have you seen her?"

The ladies shrug and Christian stands. "Don't worry, I'll find her. Kate, Mia, will you look after my wife?"

Ana rolls her eyes as Kate and Mia nod. Christian reaches down and kisses Ana's cheek. "I saw that" he whispers, and it causes her to release a light chuckle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy and Rebecca are standing outside close to the backyard entrance to the house. She has been with him all day, for the service, for the burial, and now for the reception. She's held his hand and rubbed his back, but not too many words have been exchanged between the two since the night that he met her mother. Right now as they stare at each other Teddy decides this is the perfect time to break that silence.

"I can't believe you're here" he says to her, and she can hear the sob in his voice.

"Of course I'm here. It's your grandfather's funeral. I know that you were close with him. You told me about all of those fishing trips."

Teddy lets out a light chuckle as he is reminded of the many fishing trips he took with Ray, Jose and Jose's father. He's learned many things from his own father, but Ray taught him how to fish. "I thought you were mad at me"

Rebecca sighs. "I was upset with you. I know you care about me, but I don't want you to be cross with my parents. I know they do a lot of things wrong, but…"

"But nothing" he interrupts her. "They are your parents, Rebecca, and it bothers me to see them hurt you."

"They don't hurt me" she says to him sternly

"They don't pay attention to you" he fires back. "I know that bothers you."

"They are very busy, Teddy. But they make sure I have everything I need" she says defensively.

Teddy shakes his head. "Rebecca, you don't have to pretend with me. This is me. I know it bothers you, so why don't you just admit that?"

Rebecca pauses. She is saved from having to answer him since Christian interrupts them. "Hey kids." He puts his arm around Teddy. "You doing okay?"

Teddy nods. "Yeah, we're fine." He looks over at Rebecca and she is no longer looking at him.

"Have you seen your sister?"

"No, haven't seen her" Teddy says. He looks back at Rebecca and she is still avoiding eye contact. He knows he hit a nerve.

"Well, if you see her can you tell her that I'm looking for her?"

Christian pats his son on the back and walks away.

Teddy takes Rebecca's hand and rubs his thumbs across her knuckles. "I'm sorry that I upset you. But I'm not going to apologize for defending your honor. You deserve so much more than what your parents are giving you. And I want to help you fix that." His tone with her is soft. She finally makes eye contact with him and he can see the desperation in her eyes. He's never seen that before. He pulls her closer and wraps his arms around her. She returns the gesture and relaxes her head against his chest.

"I should be the one comforting you" she mumbles into his chest, which makes him chuckle and hold her tighter.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is still sitting on the floor of her closet with her legs stretched out and crossed. The text messages back and forth with Caleb have become further and further apart. She is waiting for another one to come, but as she waits her mind goes back to the moment she spotted her mother crying into her Aunt's shoulder. She's seen her mother upset many times, but never like that. She starts to feel the pain in her chest again. She looks down at her phone to see if maybe she missed the ping sound of an incoming text, but nothing is there. She is startled when she looks at the closet entrance and sees someone standing there with his hands in his pockets. When he sees that she's spotted him he walks into the closet and sits on the floor next to her.

"Hey Peanut, I've been looking for you" Christian says as he puts his arm around her and pulls her toward him. "You okay?" His soft tone mixed with the time she's had for her mind to wander cause her to break down in sobs. "Hey, it's okay" he coos and kisses her head. He holds her and allows her to cry into his chest as long as she needs to. He's been worried about her all week since she hasn't shed any tears over her grandfather's passing. It wasn't like his daughter to hold back anytime she was upset about something.

"I saw Mom crying" she says when she starts to calm down. Christian continues to hold her to his chest. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, Baby. Mom is fine. She's going to be upset for a while, but we're all going to be there for her and help her through it."

Phoebe nods and sniffles. She reaches up to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. "I don't like seeing Mom upset."

"I know, I don't either."

Phoebe pulls away from his embrace and sits up. She tries to dry her tears and her nose as she calms down. Christian reaches over and rubs her back, waiting for her to keep talking. "I hate this. Grandpa being gone. Mom being upset. And I know that that's going to be me someday."

Christian gives her a confused look, even though she is not looking at him. He continues to rub her back. "What do you mean?"

Phoebe sniffles again. "I know that someday I'll have to say goodbye to you like that. And I don't want to. I don't… I can't…" She chances a look at him and starts to cry again. She can't even finish her sentence. Christian pulls her toward him again and holds her.

"No, no no no no no, Baby. Don't do that. You can't think like that. That's not going to happen for a very long time" he tries to assure her.

"How do you know that?" she asks through her tears.

He pulls her away from his chest and holds her chin with one hand. "Because, I need to be here to keep you in line. And I am going to be here for when you get married, and have babies, and hopefully for when your babies have babies." He smiles at her, knowing that she can't resist smiling back. She lets out a light chuckle even though she has tears running down her face. Christian dries her eyes with his thumbs and kisses her forehead. "I don't want you thinking about that, okay?"

She nods and allows him to hold her again. They stay like that until she is completely calm.

"Daddy?" she asks softly.

"Yes Baby"

"Where do you think Grandpa is now?"

Christian pauses for a moment. "Where is he?"

"Yeah. Do you believe in heaven?"

Christian allows another pause while he thinks about how to answer her question. "Yes I do. I think he's up there, cursing us right now for making such a big fuss about him. I think he's also making some friends up there and kicking butt at checkers, and taking no prisoners."

This makes Phoebe laugh lightly. She totally agrees with that assessment. Suddenly her phone pings, letting her know that she has a text message. She immediately feels panic because she knows that it is a message from Caleb. Christian looks down at the iPhone and can see who the sender is. He picks it up and looks at it while he still has Phoebe in his arms.

"Ava's texting you."

Phoebe's anxiety quickly decreases when she realizes that she labeled Caleb's phone number with her cousin's full name, Avalon, just in case her family got hold of her phone.

"She's probably looking for me" she covers as she takes the phone from him.

"Are you okay to go back to the reception?" he asks her. Phoebe nods and he kisses her head. He stands and extends his hand to help her to her feet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy introduces his girlfriend to Jose and his father.

"Nice to meet you" both father son extend their hands to Rebecca. "Teddy, we're really sorry for your loss, and we hope that you will still come fishing sometime with my father and me.

Teddy smiles as he puts his arm around Rebecca. "I'd like that. Thank you Mr Jose. And thank you for helping my parents arrange for Grandpa's friends to be here. I know it means a lot to my mother."

"Anytime, kiddo. You're mother has always been a great friend to me. I'd do anything for her." Teddy and Jose both look over in Ana's direction.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian brings Phoebe down to join the family in the backyard. She immediately sees her mother standing next to both of her grandmothers, and Ana is holding her arms out for her. She walks toward her and embraces her. More tears are shed between both ladies as Grace, Carla and Christian look on. Carla's boyfriend Scott walks over and puts his arm around her. Carrick also joins them.

"How 'bout we wrap up the reception" Grace suggests when she sees that her family has had enough for the day. Ana nods in agreement. Christian reaches over and kisses her cheek. "I'll take care of it, Baby."

Within thirty minutes family and friends have said their goodbyes and have left the property. Christian has hired extra security for the week and he has them scan the property to make sure nobody has lingered behind. They were careful to only allow known friends and family onto the property for the reception, and they are being careful to make sure that everyone leaves before security can be thinned out again.

Christian makes sure that his children are settled for the evening before joining his wife in their bedroom. He closes the door and saunters over to the bed and sits with her. She is quietly feeding Natalie, and Natalie is slowly drifting off. He smiles as he watches his wife. She is more calm then she's been all week, since finding out about her father's passing. He looks down at their beautiful daughter and gently rubs his hand over her head. When she is asleep, Christian lifts her into his arms from her mother's lap and settles her into her pack 'n play. He walks back over to the bed and sits with Ana again.

"You did very well, Ana. Ray would have been very pleased."

Ana shakes her head as she looks down at her hands in her lap. She tries to suppress the tears that are threatening, but a few start to escape her eyes. "I thought planning the funeral was going to be the hardest part, but I was wrong. This is so hard, having to move on without him."

Christian doesn't know what to say. He reaches up and runs his hand through the front strands of her hair that are hanging near her face.

"Christian….. how do I move on?"

Christian shakes his head. "I don't think you need to move on. I know that we won't see Ray anymore, or talk to him. But you still have all of your memories of him. I think you need to hold onto that."

Ana nods her head this time. The tears are still falling. "Earlier today, I had a memory. Playing hide and seek with Ray. He always found me so easily because I couldn't stop giggling." She lets out a light chuckle, as does Christian.

"You see, Baby, that's what you need to do. I think it's okay to be sad for a while, but it's also okay to remember the things about Ray that make you smile."

Christian smiles at his wife. She looks up at him and sees the way he is looking at her. That one look from her husband makes her feel warm and protected. She smiles lightly at him. "Thanks Baby" She reaches over and kisses him. "Thank you for everything you did this week, for me and for our kids, for helping me with the arrangements and….. and just helping me through this. I know I couldn't have done this without you."

"You're welcome. Now, Mrs Grey, I have a bone to pick with you."

Ana gives her husband a confused look. "What did I do?"

"You haven't been sleeping" he says to her in a serious tone, but he is not angry with her. "Now that the arrangements are done and the funeral is over, I demand that you to get eight hours of sleep tonight. And while you do that, I will be holding you and making sure that you get the proper amount of sleep."

Ana smirks at her husband. "And if I don't comply?"

"Are you smirking at me?" they both laugh. "I will tie you to the bed if I have to, Anastasia." He reaches over and kisses her. "Now, lie down. Your husband would like to spoon with you." Ana complies and gets comfortable in her husband's arms. "Sleep, Baby. I love you." He kisses her hair before he settles.

"I love you too, Grey"


	36. Big Bubble

Ana's POV

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. I'm not sure how long I've been awake, or what time it is. I just continue to stare at the white ceiling of our bedroom. My mind is empty, my thoughts a million miles away. For a few moments I forget who I am. I forget that I am a mother, a wife, a CEO of a successful publishing company. I forget that I am someone's daughter. People love me and people count on me. But all of that is lost when I am reminded of my father, gone. I won't ever hear his voice again or feel the comfort of his short but loving hugs. My whole life is changed now that he is no longer among the living. I've known him and counted on him my whole life. And now I don't have that anymore. Suddenly I am snapped back to reality when a baby's cries come ringing through the baby monitor. I am a mother, and my baby needs me. I slowly start to sit up, but then I feel an arm gently press against my stomach.

"No Baby, I'll get her. You go back to sleep." My husband's soft voice, it is so soothing and loving. He's been so wonderful these past couple weeks while I've been lost in a sea of grief over my father. He's been so understanding, taking care of me and making sure our kids have everything they need. He's had to take on the role of full time parent for them without any help from me. I feel so guilty for not being there for my family. I sit up and hug myself, the thought of checking out and hiding from the world and my responsibilities sickens me. I don't know how to pull myself out of this bubble of sadness and grief. I don't know how to live in a world where my father no longer breathes air.

I look up and see my husband saunter back into our bedroom with Natalie in his arms. He's also holding a bottle. Oh no, he wants me to feed her. I don't think I can do it. But I have to. I have to stop distancing myself and reconnect with my children, with my husband. We haven't made love since before my father passed away. I don't even know how he is putting up with me being so distant. Not once has he lost his temper with me. Not once has he been suggestive with his words or actions. He's been patient. But maybe bringing our baby girl to me is a way for him to let me know it is time to break out of this dangerous cycle. Without a word he puts Natalie in my arms and sits in front of me. I think he is waiting for a reaction. I look down at our beautiful baby girl and tears start to well in my eyes. How could I have neglected her this way? I haven't held her or fed her. I haven't changed her or bathed her. Christian has done it all on his own. That has to be a lonely existence. Suddenly it occurs to me that I haven't been fair to him. I have done nothing to contribute to the well-being of our family or our marriage. I look up at him and give him an apologetic look. I don't know what to say to him to make this right. He still doesn't say anything to me. But once he sees that I have accepted our baby in my arms he hands the bottle over to me. I'm grateful that my motherly instincts take over and I am feeding her without even thinking about it. I watch her as she sucks on the nipple and looks up at me. I fear that being away from her would make her resent me, would make her want to fuss and put some distance between us. But she doesn't do either of those things. She looks into my eyes as she feeds.

I smile at her, and I feel a few tears fall from my eyes. Then I feel my husband's soft touch on my cheek as he reaches up and wipes the tears away. I look up at him and he is smiling lightly at me. "I thought you could use some time with our baby girl."

"You always know what I need." I say to him softly. "Thank you Christian."

He reaches over and gently kisses my forehead, like I am glass that could shatter in an instant. Suddenly I don't welcome this gesture. I am grieving, but I don't want him to treat me like I'm broken. I look up at him and the smile has left my face. I'm about to say something to him, but as I listen to the words in my head I change my mind. He does not deserve to be admonished for taking care of me. I look down again at our baby and try to think of something else to say to him.

"You look angry" he says to me softly. And I feel myself gulping. I can't tell him what I'm thinking because he does not deserve to hear something so horrible. He's been so good to me, better than I deserve. He's given me space when I needed it, no questions asked, and that is not like him at all. He's also been taking care of me, making me eat and making me shower, taking care of our kids and making sure they've been eating, doing their homework and going to bed on time. "Please tell me what you're thinking about"

I gulp again. My husband and I don't keep secrets from each other. I have to talk to him. Maybe it will make me feel better. "Christian….." but I chicken out. I'm not quite sure how to put my feelings into words.

"What is it Baby? Please"

I look up at him again but then I immediately look down at Natalie. She has finished her bottle so I sit her up in my lap facing Christian. I let her play with the remote control to our television. I look at my husband again and can see the desperation in his face. He wants me to talk to him. I need to talk to him. I open my mouth and the words come out. "I feel so lost, Christian. I want to get back to our life together with our kids and our jobs, I just don't know how to do that." I feel the tears start to fall down my face again, but in a weird way I start to feel better. I haven't voiced my feelings in the past couple weeks. This is a start. I need to keep talking. "I'm so sorry, Christian. I feel like I've abandoned you and our family since I haven't been there for any of you. You've been so wonderful, taking care of our kids and taking care of me, and you'll never know how much I appreciate that."

I stop when he gently places his hand on the side of my face. I lean my head toward his hand and welcome his touch. "Ana, you're grieving. We understand that. You don't need to apologize."

"Yes, yes I do. This isn't fair to you, Christian. I should be helping you raise our family. But instead I have let this grief consume me and I haven't been contributing. But that's going to change. I'm going to start pulling my weight around here."

I hear him chuckle and instantly look up at him. I'm annoyed. He's laughing at me? "Not much weight to pull around, Mrs Grey." I cannot believe he is laughing at me. I scowl at him, and he immediately apologizes. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to make fun. I just….. I just want to see you laugh again."

"I want that too"

"Good" he smiles at me and puts his hands on mine. Natalie looks up at him and I think she is smiling, because he looks down at her and smiles. He looks back up at me with those loving gray eyes of his. I love his eyes and what they can do to me with just one look. "There's something that I'd like to do today."

"What?" What is he planning? I see the wheels spinning in his head as he shoots his boyish smile at me. Oh how I've missed that smile.

"A surprise. Right now I need to go get the kids up and ready for school. But when I come back in here, I expect to see you up and dressed. Or I will have to do the honors and dress you." He reaches over and kisses my lips, and I am grateful that this time he is not gentle about it. "Right after a good spanking" he whispers to me, and the words resonate deep down in my belly. I feel myself blushing. I've missed my sex happy fifty. "Want me to take Natalie?"

I shake my head. "No, I've got this" I say to him. He smiles at me before he leaves the room. I start to feel a bit of relief, like I've started to break through a bubble that has entrapped me. Talking to my husband is a good start. I will need to keep doing that. I want to get back to being a mother to my children. I need to get up and get dressed so that I can have breakfast with Teddy and Phoebe before they leave for school. That's a good next step. I look down at my baby girl in my lap and listen as she babbles some baby talk. I love the sound of her sweet baby voice. I've missed it so much. I reach down and kiss her head and just wrap my arms around her tighter, enjoying the moment of happiness that a baby can easily bring.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I walk into the kitchen with Natalie in my arms and I am immediately met with eight eyes staring at me, like I've walked into the wrong house. "Good Morning" I say to my family softly. My eyes meet my husband's as he walks over to me and takes Natalie from me. He greets me with another kiss that isn't so gentle.

"Good Morning, Mrs Grey."

I smile at him and break eye contact to see my kids walk over to me. Teddy and Phoebe both put their arms around me. It should feel good, but it breaks my heart because it feels like they are saying hello to me for the first time in weeks. I become more aware of how much I have distanced myself from them. I have to suppress a sob that threatens to leave my throat. I don't want to cry, not now. Not when I need to work on reconnecting with them. We let go of each other and I reach out to cup both of their faces. "I love you both so much." I almost lose the battle with my emotions, and Teddy saves me with his words.

"We love you too, Mom. Come have breakfast with us."

They both take my hands and lead me over to the breakfast bar. I catch my husband's expression and can see that he is pleased. Gail puts a cup of tea in front of me. I guess Christian already told her that I'd be joining the family for breakfast.

"What would you like for breakfast, Mrs Grey?"

I've missed this. I've been eating meals in my bedroom, forgetting how much comfort my family brings. I didn't let them help me with this, and I haven't helped them. They should be mad at me for abandoning them, but instead they are welcoming me to the breakfast bar, wanting to have breakfast with me. I'm taken by all this support and love and I almost don't answer Gail. "I'll have what they're having Mrs Taylor, thank you."

I watch as Teddy and Phoebe enjoy their pancakes. Christian puts Natalie in her exersaucer and joins us at the table. I laugh as I listen to our baby girl and her baby babbles. She plays with one of the loud rattles and tries to put it in her mouth. "I think she's teething"

"The front two teeth are starting to come in" Christian explains to me, and I am pained for not knowing that. He sees my facial expression and reaches over and takes my hand, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb. "She hasn't made much of a fuss yet, but when she does we have baby Tylenol and Orajel that we can give her. And I put some teething rings in the freezer."

I smile at my husband. Always the control freak. He's going to make sure that we soothe our baby's sore mouth as much as possible. I love experiencing him taking care of our kids. It is so beautiful and so hot at the same time. I miss his sexual touch and feeling him inside of me. I miss his kinky fuckery and his playful punishments. I haven't been able to think about any of that, and now that I am the desire is coming at me full force. I have to fight the urge to pounce on him since our children are present. I try for a distraction.

"So, I guess you guys have final exams coming up." I look over at my kids and wait for them to answer me. I see their expressions and immediately regret choosing this as a topic of discussion. Teddy is the first to speak.

"They start next week. I'm meeting with some study groups this week so we can prepare."

"Phoebe, what about you? Are you ready?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I guess. Ava and I plan to study together, but I rather study on my own too."

"That's my girl" Christian says to her and lightly pats her back. Our kids were always good with their studies, so I've never worried. But I know that my father's passing has affected them too, so I want to make sure they are okay. I haven't been doing that. I've been hiding in my bedroom, keeping my distance. I haven't been helping them properly grieve. I'm still not sure how to do that. For now I am going for normalcy.

"If you need help studying, please let me know."

Gail places plates of pancakes in front of me and my husband, and I realize how hungry I am. I quickly decorate my breakfast with butter and syrup and dig in. My family watches me and they look amused.

"What, haven't you seen a woman eat before?"

Teddy and Phoebe both giggle. "Not like that" Teddy says playfully. "Here you have a little something there."

Teddy reaches over and suddenly there is butter all over my nose. "Hey!" I shout, but I'm not angry. I find myself laughing along with my kids. Christian can't help but laugh as well. This feels good. I really needed a good laugh. I reach over and rub jelly on Christian's face, taking him by surprise. I hear my kids laugh even harder. Christian scowls for a moment, and then picks up they syrup, threatening to pour it over my head. "No don't you dare" I shout, but he does it anyway with a big smile on his face. My kids are now hysterically laughing as I blink my eyes, trying not to get syrup in them. I reach up and wipe the syrup from my face as Christian reaches over and kisses me.

"Oh, God, get a room" I hear Teddy admonish us.

"That's not a bad idea" Christian says seductively. I know my kids don't appreciate it, but I'm not worried about that at the moment. I have butter on my nose and syrup dripping from my hair, and my husband is inches away from my face waiting for my next move. I want him. I want him so bad.

"Come on Phoebe, we don't want to be late." Teddy says as he quickly escorts his sister away from the table. Christian also gets up from the table to see our kids off to school. For the second time today I am left wanting my husband in the worst way, and I think he's enjoying it. When he comes back into the kitchen I am still sitting at the breakfast bar with syrup dripping from my face and hair. He picks Natalie up front exersaucer and looks over at me with that sexy grin.

"Well, the kids are off to school, our baby needs a diaper change and my wife needs a good shower. How about I take care of the diaper change while you go and take care of the shower?"

"You're not going to join me?" I ask him with as much pain in my voice as I can muster at the moment.

"No, I'm not going to join you." I look down and sulk, knowing that my husband hates that. If he won't shower with me maybe I can at least get him to punish me, but it doesn't work. "Like I said, there is something I'd like to do today. So head on up for that shower and meet me in the foyer in one hour."

"And if I don't?" I take a chance at defiance.

"Well, then you'll miss out on what I have planned for us, Mrs Grey. I guarantee you won't want to miss it."

With that he leaves the room with Natalie. For a moment I am jealous of our baby girl. She will have my husband's attention for the next hour. He will be changing her and dressing her while I'll be showering alone. But then again, it seems I will have his attention for the rest of the day. What could he have planned? Does it involve kinky fuckery? God I hope so.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When we arrive at our destination I feel my husband leave go of my hand and climb out of the car. I wonder if I am allowed to remove my blindfold, and then I get my answer right away. "Keep the blindfold on, Mrs Grey" I hear my husband's voice from outside the car door. I do as I'm told, with a lot of resistance. I want to remove the blindfold. I want to know what my husband has planned for us. I hear my car door open and feel my husband reach across me to remove my seatbelt. He then scoops me into his arms and lifts me out of the car.

"Christian, I can walk" I admonish.

"I am fully aware of all of your abilities, Mrs Grey. But trust me when I say it is more satisfying this way."

Now I am even more intrigued. Where is he taking me that requires him to carry me? I feel him take several steps, and then one giant and almost unbalanced one. I cling to him when I feel like he will drop me. "Don't worry, Mrs Grey. I have no intention of ever letting you go." And there it is, a response to my unspoken thoughts. I feel guilty for thinking that he would drop me. After a few more steps I hear him dismiss someone as he sets me down. "Keep the blindfold on, Mrs Grey. Just a few more minutes." I am becoming more and more impatient by the minute. I want to know so badly. I have resisted the urge to just rip the blindfold off, but I don't want to disappoint my fifty, not when he seems so excited to surprise me with whatever he has planned. I continue to resist the urge to take a peak. And then I feel his eyes on me, watching me.

"Christian?"

"You can remove the blindfold now."

I carefully remove the blindfold and take in our surroundings. I gasp when I realize where we are, but not out of fear, out of excitement. "We're on The Grace!"

I look over at my husband and he is grinning. "That we are. Gail has packed a lunch for us, she and Taylor will be looking after Natalie, I've checked the weather forecast and we are looking at a beautiful warm early summer day, Mrs Grey. Alone."

I look out at the water and feel the warmth of the sun. I feel the excitement of being out there in open water, alone with my husband. A rare treat since we have three kids at home and two major companies to run. I am tickled. I bite my lip as I turn around to look at my husband again. I need confirmation that this is real. "We're going sailing? No security? No crew?"

He stands and walks over to me and squats down so that his face is just inches away from mine. "Alone" he confirms with his husky voice. I am immediately taken. He leans in and kisses me passionately, putting his hand in my hair and the other on my leg. As he kisses me he runs his hand up my naked thigh. He forces his hand in between my legs so that I open them, and he immediately finds my sex. I am grateful for my choice of wardrobe today. I am wearing a simple light green dress with a gray sash that wraps around my stomach and ties in the back. As he explores my mouth with his tongue he starts to rub his thumb around my clitoris. I'm not sure how long I can take the pleasure. I want him inside of me now. It's been way too long. I start to moan in his mouth and feel his smile. He stops kissing me and pulls his face away from mine. "Just a preview of what I'm going to do to you, Mrs Grey." _Oh my_

I am disappointed when he stands and puts distance between us. "I just need to have a word with Sam and then we can set sail."

I nod and try my best not to pout. I know he won't let me down. I just don't want to wait any longer. And the preview certainly didn't help my need.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After we eat lunch and have some wine, I think he will take me to bed. I wait in anticipation for what he will do. To my disappointment he fills our wine glasses again. I start to think that he wants to torture me. Is this some kind of revenge for being so closed off? For not being what he needed me to be while I was grieving? How is he able to go this long without sex? If he's not going to take me to bed, why did he bring me out here? And why did he give me a preview of what's to come?

"What are you thinking about?"

I pause as I look up at him. I take a sip of my third glass of wine before I answer him. "I think you're trying to torture me." Oh no, did I really just say that to him? I get my answer when he gives me a confused look.

"Why would I want to torture you?"

The moment of truth. The wine definitely makes me more honest and open. "Christian, we haven't had sex in weeks. And it's my fault."

He continues to look at me with a confused expression. "Ana, you were grieving. I wasn't going to touch you until I knew you were ready. I knew you needed space, so as much as it pained me, I was willing to give it to you."

"I don't want space anymore" I admit to him, and my voice is soft like a child's. "I want my husband to make love to me, and to have rough sex with me, like we used to. I don't want you to treat me like I'm broken."

He closes the distance between us and squats in front of me again. "I don't think you're broken, and I apologize if I've made you feel that way. The truth is, I wasn't sure how to help you. I don't know how to grieve for the loss of a loved one. I didn't know how to help you grieve, and you know how I hate not having control." He's right about that. I don't know how he's managed to keep it together. "I did what I thought was right, I took care of our kids and I took care of you, and hoped that you would show signs that you were ready to get back to your life."

I smile at him and cup his face. "You did good, Mr Grey. I am extremely grateful for everything you've done. But now I'm ready to be a wife and mother again. I'm ready to go back to work and have meals with my husband and my kids. And I'm ready to have some kinky fuckery with my sexy husband."

He smiles and his smile nearly reaches his ears. He leans in and kisses me, grabbing my head and deepening the kiss as I put my hands on his arms. This feels so good. Suddenly I feel him lift me into his arms and I yelp. "Kinky fuckery, you say?"

I let out a soft chuckle as I wrap my arms around his neck. I lean in so that my face is close to his. "Yes please"

He carries me into the room in the back of the boat and drops me onto the bed. I love my playful fifty, and I melt at the look that he is giving me right now. He draws his shirt off of his back and over his head and joins me on the bed, kissing my face, my jaw line, my neck, my chest. He pulls down the straps of my dress to kiss further down my chest, but he can't get far. He leans up and works to pull my dress up past my hips, past my chest and over my head so that I am left in my bra and panties. He removes both of our shoes and his socks. He leans down again and continues to plant kisses throughout my body. This feels so good, but how long is he going to keep this up? I want him inside of me, now! I lift my hips hoping that he gets the hint, and he does. He places his hand on top of my head and tilts it back. "Not yet, Mrs Grey." He continues by kissing my neck and moves down to my chest. He reaches around me and removes my bra with little effort. He is now sucking at my breasts.

"Christian" I moan

"Patience, Baby" he says, and I groan in annoyance. He stops and looks up at me. "What was that, Anastasia?" he asks me teasingly. And I don't answer him. "Stay right there, I'll be right back." What? Where is he going? I watch him walk away and my need practically shoots through the roof. This is so frustrating. I see him come back and he has leather cuffs in each hand. Normally he would tease me and make me wait with anticipation to see which toy he decides to use. But this time is different. He doesn't make me wait. He immediately gets to work with attaching my right wrist to my right ankle and my left wrist to my left ankle so that I am restrained and can't move. Oh my, this is going to be intense.

"Chose a safe word, Anastasia"

I freeze at the sound of those words. "Safe word". Now I know this will be intense.

"Ana!" he growls and he slaps the top side of my leg.

"Um, Grace" I decide the safe word will be the name of the boat.

"I want you to safe word if this gets to be too much for you, okay?"

"Yes Christian" I say. I'm already breathless and he hasn't even touched me yet. He rectifies that quickly as he parts my legs and positions himself in between them, sucking on my breasts and reacquainting himself with my body. We haven't done this for a while, and it is apparent as I already feel the intensity of his touch. I can't move, I can only absorb the pleasure that my husband's expert touch can bring. He moves down to my belly and sucks and kisses at my skin. My breathing is getting heavier and heavier, but he trusts me to safe word if I can't handle it. He continues as he makes his way down to my panties. He didn't remove them before cuffing me, so I know he is going to just rip them off. I am right. He grips them with one hand and rips them off. I let out a groan as he starts to lick and kiss, down there. This is so intense. I continue to absorb the pleasure as his expert tongue continues the torture.

"Christian" I moan softly. I don't want to safe word. I don't want him to stop. I want to enjoy this. I want him to enjoy what he does to my body. What he does to me. He moves up my body again and kisses my mouth. I can taste my arousal as he kisses me. I feel him push two fingers inside of me and move in a circular motion. This is too much. I want him inside of me. "Now….. please"

Christian hushes me and moves down again to kiss and suck my right breast. He pulls his left hand out of me and starts to squeeze and pull at my left breast. How long is this going to go on for? Do I safe word or let him keep going? I can't safe word. I need this. He needs this. I have to let him keep going. I try to gain control of my breathing as he makes his way down there again. His tongue is once again circling my clitoris, and I'm getting close. I'm going to orgasm. He didn't tell me that I couldn't, so I don't hold back. I come and feel my body start to convulse. When I come down from it I realize that I no longer have the cuffs on my wrists. I feel him move down and remove them from my ankles.

"How was that?" he asks me gently as he massages my right ankle.

"Heaven" I respond as I try to catch my breath. After he massages my left ankle I see him move on top of me. I don't know when he found time to remove his pants and boxers but he is gloriously naked. He kisses my lips gently and slowly. I love the gentle side of him, but I enough is enough. I lift my knees hoping he gets the hint.

"Eager are we?"

"Haven't we waited long enough?"

He smiles at me, that smile that does things to me. "Point well made, Mrs Grey." With that he starts to make love to me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Kinky and vanilla sex all in one afternoon is just what I needed to break me out of the bubble. I'm going to miss my father. For the past two weeks I've let that grief consume me and I've shut out everything that is important to me. My husband, my kids, my job, but I know I can't do that anymore. Ray wouldn't want that. I need to find a way to move on and exist in this world without Ray. I need to let my husband help me do that. This afternoon definitely serves as indication that I can do that. I know that I cannot block out the world with sex, but I can talk to him about what I'm feeling. I know he will listen. I am lying wrapped in his arms as we both settle down from our love making. I feel safe and happy. For the first time in weeks I allow myself to feel happy. I feel him kiss my naked shoulder and I smile. "Thank you"

I feel him sit up so I turn so that I am lying on my back. I look up into those beautiful gray eyes. "For what?"

"For this. For taking me sailing. For kinky sex." I break eye contact with him and reach for his hand so that I can play with his fingers. I don't know why saying the words kinky sex still embarrasses me. He knows it still does and he laughs at me. I forgive him when he reaches down and kisses my forehead.

"The pleasure was all mine" he says.

He stands from the bed, still gloriously naked as he makes his way to the bathroom. I love watching him, and I love that he is all mine. I relax in the bed and wait for him to return. While he is in there his blackberry rings. I look at the caller ID and see that it is Sawyer, so I sit up and answer it.

"Sawyer" My voice is more urgent than I mean for it to be. Suddenly I realize that if he is calling Christian it is not just to say hello. It probably means that there is something happening with one of our kids. I listen and feel panic rise in my chest with the news he delivers. I don't even notice Christian coming back into the room. "Okay, we'll be right there." I disconnect the call and stare at the blackberry.

"Ana?" Christian immediately averts my attention.

"Um, that was Sawyer. There's been an accident."


	37. Big Crash

Christian and Ana arrive at the hospital and rush through the halls until they reach the emergency room. Ana is careful as she runs in a dress and no panties. She takes care to keep her dress down with both hands as she struggles to keep up with her quick husband. When they arrive Christian reams out the lady at the desk for not having any information. Ana stands next to him and tries to catch her breath. She does not like when her husband yells at anyone like this, but she doesn't stop him. They need to find out what is going on.

"What do you mean you don't know? Find out!" Christian demands as he pounds his fist on the counter. His outburst makes the receptionist flinch and she makes quick work of her keyboard again to see if she can find any information. When she isn't successful she picks up the phone and dials Dr Grace Trevelyan Grey.

"Your mother's on her way down" she says without looking at the pair.

Christian leaves go of the counter and runs both hands through his hair. When he looks in the other direction his eyes are fixed on a young man he's seen before. When Christian recalls who the person is he nearly flies off the handle. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He starts to rush toward him, but he is stopped by Ana.

"No, Christian. This isn't helping" she says to him softly. She looks over and sees the young man. He has blood on him, but he doesn't appear to be hurt. It must be somebody else's blood. It could be Phoebe's. She starts to feel sick at the thought and uses her husband to support her weight. He holds her and continues to glare at the boy. "Who is that, Christian?"

"That's Caleb Braxton" he says through gritted teeth.

Ana gasps. "Harold's son?"

Christian nods in confirmation. Their moment is interrupted when Grace arrives. She puts her hand on Christian's shoulder and he immediately turns around. "Mom, what happened?" There is a police officer with them as well, but Christian's focus is on his mother. His wide and worried eyes burn into hers.

"There was a really bad car accident down town. The police are investigating to find out what happened." She starts to explain. "Phoebe was a passenger in one of the cars, and she suffered a head injury."

"Mom, is she…."

"She's stable" Grace interrupts him. "Her vitals are good, but we won't know anything more until she is awake."

Christian pales. "You mean, you won't know if there is any damage to her brain, is what you are saying." He speaks slowly as the words start to sink in.

Grace nods. "That's right"

"What about, the driver. Was it Teddy?" Ana asks nervously.

"No, actually the driver was someone else. Jay Thompson"

Christian's face turns red. He is furious. "What the fuck was she doing with that kid?"

"Christian, calm down" Ana says as she rubs her hand up and down his chest. "What happened to him?"

Grace sighs and blinks her eyes closed. "He died at the scene. Officers were sent to his home to inform the family."

Christian and Ana both struggle with everything they are hearing. Their daughter was in a serious car accident. She has a head injury, and they are yet to find out the extent of that damage. She was in a car with a boy that tried to take advantage of her, and now he is dead. Will they ever find out why she was in the car with Jay?

"There's something else" Grace starts, and she has their attention again. "Teddy was in the other car, but he's okay. A doctor is stitching up a cut on his head. But his girlfriend isn't doing so well."

"When can we see our kids?" Christian asks before she can tell them more.

"You can see Phoebe now, right this way."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Grace leads Christian and Ana into a room in the ICU where Phoebe has been settled. She has a breathing tube down her throat. She also has a few thin tubes hooked up to her. Ana reaches for Christian's hand and he takes it as they take in the site of their injured daughter. "Can she hear us?" Ana asks softly.

Grace nods and gives her an apologetic smile. "It's possible"

Christian cannot take his eyes off of his daughter. He continues to stare at her from the door way. Ana leaves go of his hand and walks into the room. She sits in the chair next to Phoebe's bed and gently takes hold of her hand that is free of tubes. Tears drip down her face as she is faced with this latest tragedy.

Christian is frozen in his spot. Grace watches as Ana talks to Phoebe, telling her that everything is going to be alright. After Ana is finished she stands and plants a gentle kiss on Phoebe's forehead. "Your turn" she says to her husband, but he doesn't move.

"It's okay Christian, go on" Grace gives him a verbal push.

He slowly makes his way over to her bedside and sits down in the chair. Just as Ana has done, he takes his daughter's hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Hey Peanut, Daddy's here" he tells her. He reaches down and plants a kiss on the back of her hand. "Mommy and Daddy are here for you baby." He looks at her face and feels his tears escape his eyes. His daughter is lying in a hospital bed. She is hurt, and there is nothing he can do about it. He has no control. He has to rely on machines to help her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian and Ana are sent out of Phoebe's room while the doctors run tests. They walk back to the ER to check on Teddy. He is there with Sawyer. Christian grimaces when he sees that Caleb is still there as well. Christian and Ana immediately embrace their son when they see him.

"Dad, I need your help" he says desperately. "Nobody will tell me what is happening with Rebecca."

"She was in the car with you?" Ana asks.

Teddy nods. He is nearly hysterical with worry. He has to work hard to keep his breathing under control. "She was hurt really bad Mom. I'm scared."

Ana takes him into her arms and holds him tight. He can no longer hold it in, and he starts to sob. Ana rubs his back and allows him to let it out. Christian glares at Caleb, who is standing in a corner watching the family. His attention is drawn back to his wife and son. He puts his hands on Teddy's back. "It's okay son"

"No, it's not okay" he roars as he leaves go of his mother and turns around to face him. "Why won't they tell me about my girlfriend?"

Christian would normally snap back at his son for talking to him that way, but he refrains from the response. He knows his son is in a bad place right now, overcome with worry for his girlfriend. He takes a deep breath in before he talks to his son calmly. "Son, I know you care for Rebecca, but you are not her family. The doctors are only going to talk to her parents. Do you know if they're here?"

"Yes, they're here. They were taken somewhere else, the ICU I think." Teddy works to compose himself, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"We will figure it out, okay? We need to wait for her parents to talk to us." Christian dreads having to tell his son about Phoebe. But he knows he must tell him now before he hears it from someone else. "Son, there's something else you need to know" he says to him, but Teddy doesn't make eye contact. Christian gently takes his arm and leads him over to a few chairs for the three of them to sit. Sawyer stands by them. "Son, we're not just here to see you. I mean, we are grateful that you are okay, aside from a few minor bruises." Christian points to his son's forehead where he'd just received stitches.

Teddy gives his parents a confused look. "Then, why else are you here? Are you guys okay?"

Christian quickly squashes his son's worry over his parents, only to replace it with another. "No, we're both fine. I… I was talking about Phoebe." Christian looks down at his hands.

"What about her?" he asks softly.

"Son, she was in the other car."

Teddy gasps. "No. What was she doing in the other car?" He thinks about it for a moment, then turns around and eyes their body guard. "Sawyer?"

"She wasn't in the car with Sawyer" Christian interrupts him. He takes a moment to glare at Sawyer, still unaware of the events that led up to his daughter winding up in a car with Jay. "The person driving the car was Jay."

"Jay? Why? Why would she be in a car with Jay?"

"I don't know" Christian answers him unaware that Caleb has been listening and has made his way over to them.

"I can answer that"

Christian looks up and is faced with the source of the voice. He immediately becomes angry. "You stay the fuck away from my family" he growls.

"Dad, I want to see Phoebe."

Christian takes a moment to glare at Caleb before he rises and takes his son by the arm to help him up. He looks at his son and loses the glare. "Okay. I'll take you."

Once Christian and Teddy walk away, Caleb tries again with Ana. "Mrs Grey, please let me explain."

"You heard my husband" Ana says softly as Sawyer steps over to stand next to her.

"Just hear me out" Caleb says almost pleadingly. "Please, have a cup of coffee with me in the cafeteria. I will tell you what I know and then I will leave."

Ana thinks it over for a moment and then looks up at Sawyer. He nods at her. Ana is conflicted since her husband wants Caleb to stay away from them. But she wants to know what happened. She won't be able to get the story from Jay or Phoebe, so Caleb is it. She decides to go along with him to the cafeteria.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy sits by Phoebe's bedside and stares at her. He's not sure what to say to her. He is angry with her for being in the car with Jay, the car that crashed into his and seriously injured his girlfriend. But at the same time, Phoebe was hurt too. No matter what her reasons were for being in the car with Jay, he hates to see his sister like this. His love for his sister takes over and sorrow wins out over anger.

"Is she going to be okay, Dad?"

Christian inhales and lets out a long breath. He is standing next to Teddy with his hands in his pockets. "I don't know. Your grandmother said we need to wait for her to wake up."

"When will that be?"

Christian takes an even deeper breath in this time and lets it out. "I don't know." He is not in control of his situation. He feels lost and scared. He has no idea what is going to happen with his daughter. She could wake up and be okay, she could wake up with no memories, or she could be totally gone forever. Just the thought of that brings tears to his eyes and he quickly wipes them away. He feels that he needs to be strong for his kids right now. He needs to will his daughter to come back, and he needs to help his son cope with what is happening to his sister and his girlfriend.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Caleb and Ana sit at a table in the corner in the cafeteria so that they have privacy. Sawyer brings tea and coffee for the three of them. He sits down next to Ana and they wait for Caleb to begin.

"Mrs Grey, I really appreciate you giving me a chance to explain."

Ana takes a page out of her husband's book and portrays herself as a stiff, powerful CEO. "Caleb, don't misunderstand. All I want is an explanation of what happened to my kids today. And at the moment you seem to be the only person that can provide that information. So let's have it."

"Okay" he says before looking down at his coffee, as if collecting his thoughts. "You're not going to like what I have to say, but you need to know the truth."

Ana looks at the scared young man before her, but she doesn't change her facial expression. She is angry, she is scared, she is probably in a lot of trouble with her husband for taking this leap of faith, but she maintains her posture and waits for him to speak.

"Phoebe was at the library, and I was meeting her there."

"Why?"

"Because we've been seeing each other…. there. That's the place we knew we could spend time together without anyone finding out."

Ana feels like someone has punched her in the gut. She didn't think it was possible to feel any worse right now. "You've been seeing each other behind our backs."

"That's right" he says softly. He breaks eye contact and looks down at his coffee again. "We knew that you didn't approve of me, but we hit if off the night of the masquerade ball, and we wanted to keep in touch. We wanted to see each other. I swear to you, I never touched her. It was completely innocent. We talked and we studied together."

Ana nods, although she is completely displeased that her daughter kept this big secret from her, she knows she needs to keep listening. "Go on"

Caleb takes a deep breath in and lets it out. "I was supposed to meet her today. But when I got to the library, I saw some kid dragging her out to his car. He was covering her mouth with something. I couldn't stop him so I jumped into Sawyers car and we followed them."

"You saw the accident?"

"Yes. We were right behind them. He the light and hit the other car. I rushed to the passenger side to help Phoebe, but Sawyer here told me not to move her. He had me get into the back seat and hold her head in place in case she had a neck injury."

Ana works hard to keep the tears at bay. She takes a few seconds to let this sink in. She looks over at Sawyer and can see that he is scared too. "Mrs Grey" he starts, but Ana interrupts him.

"Don't" she shakes her head, and she has to work even harder to keep the tears from falling. "I know you did what you could for her. We said she could go into the library without security, Christian and I agreed." Ana continues to shake her head. Why did she and her husband agree to that? She thinks back to the day when Phoebe begged her parents for a little freedom from their security. They agreed that the library was probably the only safe place she could be alone without being watched. Sawyer would still be outside and she would have her cell phone with her. But that still didn't stop Jay from getting to her.

* * *

**_Thank you for continuing to review, favor and follow my story. I'm still having fun writing it. And yes, I think cliffhangers are fun. It's also a good lead in to the next chapter. You know the Greys will never get a break. Fifty Shades of Drama. Happy Reading!_**


	38. Big Reveal

"_**Some of you have asked about Jay. He is a junior at their high school that helped Phoebe ditch Sawyer in the first chapter so that they could take a ride. Phoebe talks about Jay in "Big Spill" and "Big Sail", and he is in "Big Press"**_

* * *

Christian's POV

_I walk into my daughter's bedroom and see her sitting on her bed with her mother. She is still crying. It's been over an hour since I'd punished her for trying to reach for the hot mug of tea, and she's still crying. Ana had brought her up here to try and calm her down. I look over at my wife and she has a book in her hand and the look of desperation in her face as our daughter continues to scream. I feel like shit. What if I hurt her? She's so small. She's only four years old. And my hand is very large. I only meant to cause temporary stinging, so she would learn not to do it again. A sore bottom is definitely better than permanently burned damaged skin from scalding hot liquid that would have spilled on her, had I not gotten to her in time. _

_I hate this. I hate seeing her cry like this. I walk over to the bed and gently pick her up. I hold her against my chest with her chin on my shoulder and rub her back, and pretty soon her cries turn into soft whimpers. I continue to rub her back, and I move my face over to her head to kiss her hair. I look down at my wife and she looks pleased, but I also see sadness in her eyes. Why does she look so sad? Is she upset that I've been able to calm our daughter in a matter of seconds, while she's been up here with her for an hour? I guess it's possible._

"_How 'bout a bath for my girls?" I ask my wife, and she immediately grins. She climbs off the bed and follows me into our master bathroom. I turn on the water and pour in some jasmine bubble bath while Phoebe is still in my arms, and I hold her until it is time to undress her and put her in the bath._

_Once my girls are settled in the bath, my wife and I wash Phoebe together and allow her to play with her toys. She seems a lot calmer now, and my wife is a lot more relaxed. I ask my daughter if she'd like to help me wash her mother's hair, and she happily obliges. I pick her up and place her behind Ana. She stands and I put some shampoo in her hand so that she can help me massage Ana's head. Once we are finished with rinsing the shampoo and then the conditioner, I take Phoebe out of the tub and dress her in our bedroom so that Ana can have some time to herself. As I am dressing her she seems down again, so I lay her down and blow raspberries on her stomach. She laughs out loud. God, how I love that sound. Hell of a lot better than hearing her cry. I do it a few more times before I finish getting her dressed._

_While Ana is still in the bath I take Phoebe to her bedroom and sit on the glider with her. I want to talk to her about what happened earlier in the kitchen, and make sure she understands why I punished her._

"_Peanut, Daddy loves you very much. You know that right?" She nods as she lies in my lap. She looks like she could fall asleep at any moment. I don't want her to fall asleep yet, so I reposition her so that she is sitting up more. "I don't ever want you to get hurt, and if you'd have grabbed that mug of tea, you would have been hurt really bad. There was scalding hot water in that mug, and it would have burned your skin. Do you understand?" She nods again. "I spanked you because I need you to understand that what you did was very dangerous, and you can never do it again. Okay Phoebe?"_

"_Yes Daddy, I'm sorry"_

_My heart melts at the sound of her voice. Her sweet and almost quiet voice. My Peanut. I kiss her head and allow her to drift off to sleep._

I open my eyes and look around my daughter's hospital room. What time is it? I notice that Ana is sitting next to me. They must have brought in another chair for her.

"Did you have a nice nap?" she asks me softly. Nap? Did I really fall asleep?

"Um, sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Ana rubs her hand up and down my arm. "That's okay. Nothing's changed. Grace was in here a few minutes ago."

I try to remember what happened before I drifted off. I think Teddy was in here with me. "Where's Teddy?"

"He's in the waiting room, trying to talk to Rebecca's parents. Christian, they have to let him see her. They just have to."

That's right. Rebecca was seriously hurt in the accident. I need to talk to Rebecca's parents for Teddy. "I should go check on him. Will you be okay in here?"

She nods and I briefly kiss her, feeling the fire that we still have between us. Even through such a serious tragedy we still have this. How did I get so lucky? I lean over my daughter's bed and kiss her forehead, brushing some of her hair away as I do it. I frown as I look down at her, eyes closed, body still and dependent on a breathing tube. Why the hell was she in a car with Jay? I look over at my wife and something occurs to me. "Where were you while I was sleeping?"

She looks like she doesn't want to tell me, so I raise an eyebrow at her. "Christian, go be with Teddy. He needs you. We can talk when you get back."

I hate being sidetracked, but she's right. My son needs me. This will have to wait. I lean down and cup her chin so that she looks at me. "We will talk about this when I get back, Mrs Grey." I kiss her again before I leave the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I arrive at the waiting area of the ICU and see Teddy with Rebecca's parents. He doesn't appear to be getting anywhere with them. I sit next to my son and put my hand on his shoulder, and I immediately have her parents' attention.

"Mr and Mrs Lincoln" I address them. I try to keep my tone light because I'm pretty sure their daughter isn't doing well since she is in the ICU.

"Mr Grey" Robert addresses me. He is wearing a dark gray suit and a dark green tie. His wife Melinda is wearing a white blouse under a tan blazer and tan pants. They clearly were busy at their jobs when the accident occurred. I, on the other hand, am casual in my denim shorts and white golf shirt. I'm sure they expected to see me in my CEO attire, not my casual 'I just went sailing and fucked my wife' attire. That reminds me, I should ask Taylor to bring a change of clothes for me and my wife. Definitely panties for Ana. As hot as it is to know that my wife isn't wearing panties, I don't want that to take my focus off our kids. They need us right now.

"I'm sorry to hear about your daughter." I decide to start the conversation with an apology. I really do feel bad for them, and I can relate. My daughter is also in bad shape right now. "How is she doing?"

"She's in surgery" Robert says, and I can tell he is trying to sound strong, but I'm sure on the inside he is fighting an emotional war. "She has internal bleeding and they're trying to stop it. Ted has told us that your daughter is in ICU with a head injury."

Ted? Nobody calls my son Ted. It's always been Teddy or Theodore. I decide not to touch on that. This is neither the time nor the place . "That's right" I nod, and I try to stay strong as the thought of my daughter in that hospital bed comes to mind. "We won't know anything until she wakes up."

I watch as Melinda leaves the room to take a call. I assume it is one of her relatives calling, but I see Robert roll his eyes in annoyance. "I told her to leave that phone in the car."

"Business?" I assume, and he nods his head.

"You'd think she'd take a break from her career for just a few hours to focus on her daughter. I'm sorry, you don't need to hear this." He stands up and starts pacing. I can see that there are problems between the two. I look down at my son and he looks like he wants to say something.

"What is it?"

"That's what her mother was doing when Rebecca tried to introduce us. Her phone kept ringing and she kept putting us off to answer it."

Robert comes back and takes his seat again. "I apologize for my wife's behavior. She didn't even tell me that our daughter was dating. Why didn't Rebecca tell me?"

I look to Teddy to answer his question. Ana and I have met Rebecca, and we've enjoyed seeing our son happy to have his girlfriend over for dinner a few times. I had no idea he was struggling with her parents.

"I kept asking Rebecca to introduce us. She told me you traveled a lot."

I can see the pained look in Robert's face. "Yes, I had a few meetings out of state. I'm sorry Ted."

"I'm sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances." Robert nods in response. "Mr Lincoln, I really care about your daughter. And I want to be there for her, see her through this. I hope you'll let me."

I'm so proud of my son right now. I put my arm around him and look back at Robert, hoping to see a man that will give my son a chance. Instead I see a man that is unsure. He breaks eye contact with us. "Mr Lincoln?" I ask.

"Let's just take this one step at a time. She's in surgery now and we really won't know anything until the doctor comes back and talks to us."

"I understand" Teddy says in a low tone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later in the day Ana and I meet with Phoebe's doctor. He is tall and slim, probably in his early thirties. He removes his glasses after reading some information on her chart. I start to feel nervous at what he wants to talk to us about. I'm hoping he's going to tell us that her condition is improving, but somehow I doubt that. Somehow this doesn't feel like that kind of meeting. Ana and I are sitting next to each other. I reach over and take both of her hands in mine.

"We ran some tests on Phoebe, to test her brain activity."

"And?" I ask impatiently. Why must doctors draw things out like this?

"We are encouraged by what we saw. She's still unconscious, but she is still in there. It's definitely a good sign."

"Okay, well, what's the bad news?" Ana asks. I squeeze her hands a little tighter.

"The longer she stays unconscious, the worse her condition will be. Right now her body is healing, and that is a good sign. We want to keep seeing signs of improvement."

"What's the next step?" I ask him. There has to be something that can be done to help her.

"The next step is, we remove the breathing tube, see if she can breathe on her own."

"And if she can't?" Ana asks, and I can feel her body tense. I keep one hand on hers and put my arm around her.

"If she can't, we'll put the breathing tube back in. I need your signed authorization to remove the tube."

Ana and I look at each other. I can see so much pain in her eyes, and I'm sure mine are mirroring hers. I am so scared that we'll lose our daughter. I can't let myself go there. If removing the tube is the next step, then we need to try it. I nod at my wife, and she nods back. "We'll sign the paper work."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana's POV

We are allowed in to visit our daughter shortly after they remove the breathing tube. She is still and she has a few tubes hooked up to her for her meds, but she no longer has the breathing tube. This is very encouraging.

"Our brave and strong daughter is breathing on her own." Christian says to me softly. He has a big smile on his face, and I can tell he is fighting back tears. I wipe a few tears away from my face as he leaves go of my hand and walks over to stand next to our daughter's bed. He leans down and kisses her forehead. "We're here, Peanut, and we are so proud of you."

I enjoy the moment between my husband and our child, even though she is unconscious in a hospital bed. I remain standing a few feet away from the door as I watch them. I know he's going to ask me about what went on earlier today, and I know I'll have to tell him about Caleb, but I really don't want to. I don't want to spoil this moment. When I tell him about Caleb, he will be so angry with our daughter. He'll want to punish her for defying us.

"Ana" he snaps me out of my thoughts and I look over at him. He stands from the chair next to our daughter's bed and walks over to me. Oh no, he's going to ask me. "Earlier I asked you about where you were when I was sleeping."

"Yes, you did."

"Well?" He looks around the room, I guess to make a point. "Are you going to tell me? Or do I have to tease it out of you?"

He starts to trail kisses along my neck. I need to stop him. "No!"

"No? No, you're not going to tell me?" He looks both angry and confused.

"I mean no, don't kiss my neck right now, because I need to tell you something."

Christian gives me a warning look, a look that used to scare the hell out of me. A look that told me he would put me over his knee if continue to defy him. That look doesn't scare me the way it used to. In fact, it turns me on. But this is no time to be having these feelings. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"No, you're not"

"Tell me, Anastasia"

He's angry, and rightfully so. He's only going to get angrier. At me and our daughter. "Christian, I wanted to hear what Caleb had to say, so Sawyer and I went down to the cafeteria and had coffee with him."

"You had coffee with that son of a bitch? Why Ana?"

"Keep your voice down" I admonish him. I know that our daughter is unconscious, but Grace did say that she could probably hear us. "Maybe we should do this somewhere else."

"No, Ana, we will do this right here, right now. Answer the question." I have to forgive him for being so damn demanding right now. Not only because our daughter is hurt, but also because I did go against his wishes by talking to Caleb.

"Christian, I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know why Phoebe was in a car with Jay, and I wanted to know why Caleb was involved."

"And?" he growls at me.

"It sounds like Jay tried to kidnap our daughter, and Caleb followed him, to stop him."

Christian looks down and runs a hand through his hair. "Why was Caleb anywhere near our daughter?" I take a breath and let it out. "Ana!" he snaps again.

"Caleb and Phoebe were seeing each other" I say to him slowly. And I regret it immediately. I swear I can see steam coming out of his ears. He is furious. He runs his hand through his hair again and it looks like he is counting as he pulls at some of his hair.

"I told her to stay away from that fucker!" He starts to pace circles around the little space in the room. Wait a minute, what?

"When was this?"

"At the masquerade. He was dancing with her. When I checked on her she was struggling to get away from him. I told him to fucking stay away, Ana!"

He is yelling right now, and I'm sure that nurses and doctors can hear him. "Shhh, keep your voice down. I know you're upset…"

"Upset? Fuck, Ana!" He continues to pace the room and run his hand over his face and through his hair. He looks like an anxious animal ready for the attack.

"Okay you're furious. Look we don't know the whole story. That was only Caleb's version. He could have been lying."

"For Phoebe's sake, he better be lying." He's still yelling, and he extends his arm and points to our daughter's bed to make a point.

"Hey bro, take it easy. Everyone on the ninth floor can hear you" I hear a familiar voice say. I look over at the door and it is Elliot. Kate is right behind him. They both walk into the room and offer us comfort. Kate wraps her arms around me. Elliot approaches his brother cautiously and puts his arm around him. Perfect timing on their part.

"Ava's in the waiting room with Teddy" Kate tells me. I look over at my husband and can tell the wheels are spinning in his head.

"Good, I need to talk to her" he says. He leaves the room before any of us can stop him.


	39. Big Wait

Christian's POV

I walk into the waiting room and find Ava sitting with Teddy. A few other people are here as well, including Rebecca's parents. I can't do this in front of everybody, so I pull Ava out into the hall. I'm not very gentle about it either, but I can't fucking worry about that right now. I need answers, and I won't get them by being kind and gentle with my niece. I can tell she is afraid, I could see it in her eyes when I first walked into the waiting room. That's good. She needs to be afraid. Maybe she won't fucking lie to me like she lies to my brother.

When we are in the hall I leave go of her arm, which until now I've had a pretty strong grip on. I feel guilty for hurting her when I see her rub her arm, but that feeling goes away quick when I see her glare at me. "Don't look at me like that" I snap at her. She flinches and turns her attention to the door to the waiting room, where Teddy has just shut the door. He walks over to us and stands next to Ava.

"Dad, what is it?"

I don't answer my son. I don't have time for this. I need to know everything and I need to know now. "Ava, why was Phoebe talking to Caleb?"

"Who's Caleb?" she asks me, and I can feel my anger start to build further and further.

"Do Not Play Games With Me" I snap at her again. "Tell me what you know about Caleb."

"Uncle Christian, I don't know who Caleb is."

I have to work hard to stop the anger from bursting. I am aware that it is radiating through my body, I can tell by the way my niece and my son are looking at me, like I'm some kind of animal that needs to be caged. Is she lying to me? I continue to struggle with my anger. Anger at my daughter for defying me again. Anger at not having control over her medical condition. Anger over her being in a car with Jay. And to add insult to injury, anger at my niece for possibly holding out on me as I question her about Caleb. She's not my child. I can't put her over my knee and punish her if she's not honest with me. I need to change tactic. I take a few breaths and run my hand through my hair, willing my body to calm down.

"Phoebe has never mentioned Caleb to you?" I try again, this time my voice is much more controlled.

"No, she hasn't. Who is he?" I look into her eyes, and I see something I've never seen in my niece. She is being sincere. I start to believe that she really doesn't know anything about Caleb. I still struggle with this since I thought Phoebe and Ava shared everything. Either Phoebe kept this relationship to herself, or Caleb is lying about the whole thing. Either way, I _will_ find out.

"Let's sit down" I say softly. I gently put my hand on her back and guide her over to a few chairs that are nearby. Ava and I sit while Teddy stands and listens. "Caleb told your Aunt Ana that he and Phoebe were seeing each other."

Ava looks up at me with a quizzical expression. "As far as I know, she wasn't seeing anybody. She wouldn't keep that from me."

"Did she ever say anything to you about Caleb, or a boy she liked?" I try again, hopeful. There has to be something.

"No"

"No, not even at the masquerade fundraiser?"

She shakes her head. "No. Why, was he there? Is that where she met him?"

"Yes. He danced with her."

Ava starts to look hurt. "She didn't tell me she danced with anyone there. She wouldn't even participate in the dance auction. Who is he, Uncle Christian? I mean why would she keep him a secret? Is he bad news?"

"He is Braxton's son." I watch her eyes grow wide at my admission. The same eyes I saw that day in Braxton's office. It's like she's reliving watching her cousin get hurt again. I look up at Teddy and he looks confused. "Son?"

"Why would she date his son? That doesn't make any sense?"

I'm with my son on this one. It doesn't make any sense. But I won't know the truth until I talk to Phoebe. I hope she wakes up soon. I can't stand being in the dark about everything right now. I need Phoebe to explain all of this to me. And she will be punished if I find out that she saw that fucker's kid behind my back. I made it very clear to her that I didn't want her to see or talk to him. I run my hand through my hair again before I look down at my niece.

"Ava, what about Jay. Why would Phoebe be in a car with Jay?"

She looks up at me and gives me a disgusted look. "Jay? She was with Jay?"

"Yes, Jay was driving the car." I try to keep my temper in check. I've failed to understand that Ava hasn't heard any of this yet. "Ava, Jay was driving the car that crashed into Teddy's car. He didn't make it."

"Oh" is all she says as she looks down. She can't possibly have sympathy for this kid, can she? All he's done is cause trouble for my daughter. And now he's responsible for her condition as well as Rebecca's. I don't understand the remorse that Ava seems to be expressing right now. I think she's crying. I shake my head and look up at my son. He has his arms crossed and he is not looking at me. I watch as Ava raises a hand to her face and roughly wipes away tears. "This is so stupid, I don't know why I'm crying. He was such a jerk."

"He was an ass" Teddy corrects her. I glare at him since I don't care for his swearing. "I'm sorry but it's true. He was. But he was also just a kid. He won't have a chance to grow up and become a better person."

I try to get back to the topic at hand. "Ava, you have no idea why Phoebe was with Jay?"

"No"

"Any idea why Jay would want to hurt Phoebe?" I press further.

"Wait, I heard Rachel and Kelly got expelled for messing around with school records. Jay was still involved with Rachel. Do you think Jay tried to hurt Phoebe to get back at her for Rachel getting expelled?"

I think about it for a moment as I rub my chin. Maybe my brother raised a smart girl after all. I don't answer her, but I smile softly at her and rub her back. I see Elliot and Kate leave the ICU to greet us in the hall. It is getting late and visiting hours are over. We both stand as they walk over to us.

"Everything okay out here?" my brother asks has he stands next to Ava and puts his arm around her.

"Just having a chat with my niece" I answer him. I look down at Ava and she looks both tired and emotional. I'm sure she was hoping to see her cousin, but they don't allow children under eighteen in ICU. I say goodbye to my brother and his family and Teddy and I watch them leave.

I turn around and see Mr Lincoln stepping out of the waiting room with a doctor. They shake hands and the doctor walks away. Teddy and I walk over to him, hoping he'll share some information.

"Did he tell you anything about Rebecca?"

Mr Lincoln doesn't look to hopeful. I put my hand on Teddy's shoulder and squeeze.

"She's out of surgery, but we can't see her until tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Teddy grabs his head with both of his hands in frustration. I know this has to be killing him. If it were Ana, nothing and I mean _nothing_ would keep me away from her for this long.

"Thank you Mr Lincoln. I hope you understand that my son only wants the best for your daughter, and he'd really like to have a visit with her."

I watch my son look at me and then over at Mr Lincoln, hoping he will allow it.

"I'll talk to her doctor. We need to get permission since you are under eighteen. As long as he's okay with it, I will be too."

I watch as some tension leaves my son's body. He looks like he will cry. "Thank you, Sir" he manages to say once it sinks in. We watch Mr Lincoln walk away before my son turns to me. He doesn't know what to do with his new found relief. There is no real news on his girlfriend, but by this time tomorrow, as long as her doctor allows it, he'll be able to see her. I put my arm around him and pull him into a hug. After a few seconds of holding my son I see Ana walk out of the ICU.

"Something wrong?" I ask her. As usual I think the worst since she is no longer in our daughter's room.

"Everything's fine" she says, and I start to relax a little. "It's getting late, so Teddy and I should be getting home to Natalie."

"Mom, I want to stay"

"Go home, Son" I say to him sharply. Just because Phoebe and Rebecca are in the hospital does not mean everyone has to lose sleep. I will be staying here for the night with Phoebe. I already talked to my mother about it and I was very adamant that one of us always be with her. She agreed so I will be sleeping in the chair beside her bed. There are not too many things that would keep me away from sleeping with my wife. Out of town business meetings is one thing, my children would be the other. I say goodbye to my wife and son and head to my daughter's room. When I walk in and catch the site of her my entire demeanor changes. Gone is the irate father with rage running throughout his body, and in his place is the tired emotional father that just wants his Peanut to wake up. I sit by her bed and hold her hand, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles until my body betrays me and forces me to lie back and sleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Ana and I are both in Phoebe's room. I am sitting in the chair by her bed again, holding her hand, and Ana is sitting in the other chair on the other side of her bed. We've been talking about events that could have transpired that landed our daughter here. We are not sure whether or not to believe that Phoebe was seeing Caleb. I want to believe that it is a lie, that my daughter wouldn't do this. She learned her lesson with Jay, that she shouldn't defy us. I promised her no more spanking, but at the time I did not imagine she would even think to defy us like this. I am so confused, and so drained. I just want her to wake up. I want to hold her, and revel in the happiness that my daughter will be okay. I want her to provide answers to all the questions that keep running through my head. Why did Caleb say they were seeing each other? And if it's true, why would she date the son of the fucker that beat her? Why was she in the car with Jay? Did he really kidnap her? The police gave me Phoebe's phone today, so I have been going through it to see if I can find texts or emails from Caleb. I haven't come across any yet. As I suspected, she frequently texts and emails Ava, or rather, Avalon. I didn't know until recently that she had her cousin's full name in her phone.

A nurse comes into the room carrying towels, soap, sponges and a bin. "Excuse me Mr and Mrs Grey, we need to give Phoebe a bath. Right behind her is a male nurse. _Hell no!_

"Leave the stuff, my wife and I will take care of it" I say to her coldly.

"Christian!" My wife scolds, but I don't look over at her.

"You heard me" I say to the nurse, and this time I glare at her. She stiffens in her place, but she doesn't give up.

"Sir, it really is no problem. It's our job."

"You won't get in trouble, I'll make sure of it. But if you don't leave now I will have you both fired."

"Christian!" My wife scolds again, and this time her voice is louder. This time I glare at her. I can feel the nurses' eyes on me, but I don't care. There is no way I am letting them bathe my daughter. I am somewhat pleased when the nurses finally leave the room. The whole time I had my hand in Phoebe's, and I still don't let go. After the nurses leave I look down at our hands.

"Christian, what was that about?"

"Ana, those nurses are not bathing our daughter." I don't mean to snap at her, but I just hate when she undermines me, especially when it comes to our kids.

"That's their job. They were not doing anything wrong."

She doesn't get it. I finally look away from our hands and meet my wife's eyes. "Ana, we need to be careful with the people we trust with our daughter's care. We don't know them. For all we know, they could take pictures of her while she's naked and sell them on the internet, or use them to blackmail us."

"You are being ridiculous" she says as she crosses her arms.

"I disagree. Ana, we are her parents. This is our job. Not some strange nurse's job. Are you going to help me or do I have to do this myself?"

Ana glares at me for a moment, arms still crossed. She finally caves and walks over to the door, shutting it so nobody walks in. I'm glad she decides to help me. I don't particularly feel comfortable doing this, but better me than some stranger. Once we are finished we put a new hospital gown on her. We let the nurses come back in and they change the sheets. I hold out hope that her being clean will help her recover faster and wake up.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I leave Ana with Phoebe while I accompany my son to visit his girlfriend. He was so relieved to find out that her doctor granted him permission. As we approach Rebecca's room, I can see him shaking. He is terrified of what he will see when he walks in. Before he reaches for the door handle I stop him. I want him to calm down before he walks in.

"Son"

"Yeah?" He turns around but he doesn't look at me.

"Take a few breaths. You need to calm down before you go in there. Rebecca needs to draw her strength from you, understand?"

He nods. "Yes, I do. Can I go in now?"

"Yes" I smile at him and follow him in. Her doctor would only allow Teddy to visit as long as another adult was present. Rebecca's parents are having lunch in the cafeteria, so right now it is just the two of us. When we walk in, we see Rebecca hooked up to many machines. She has more tubes coming out of her than Phoebe. I worry about my son when I see her. She doesn't look good. We were told that the surgery went well, that they were able to stop the bleeding, but she still needs to rely on these machines to keep her alive. I stand and watch my son take a seat next to her bed. He nervously takes one of her hands with both of his and plants gentle kisses.

"Hey Baby. It's me, your Teddy Bear." I smirk at my son's words. I start to wonder if it is even appropriate for me to be listening to this. I know I need to be in the room, but I don't have to listen in. I walk over and stand by the door so I am out of earshot. I watch as he continues to speak softly to her, and pretty soon I see him start to shake again. He's sobbing. I walk over to him and put my hands on his shoulders. After a few minutes he stands and allows me to hold him. He lets go and cries hard into my chest. He's cried before but never like this. I know he is scared. This brings me back to when Ana was attacked by Jack, when she was pregnant with Teddy. We didn't know if she was going to wake up. I didn't know if I was ever going to hold her again or hear her voice. Teddy is so young, but I know he adores Rebecca. I know those same thoughts are going through his head right now.

"Dad, I love her so much. What if she never wakes up? What if….what if….."

"Shhhh" I cut him off. I don't want him to go to that place. "You can't think that way, Son. We need to stay positive, and be here for Rebecca. You need to hold her hand and talk to her and let her know that you're here."

"Can she even hear me?"

I pull him away from me so that I can look at him. "I think she can. And if she can, she's not going to want to hear you crying like this, right?"

He takes a few breaths and starts to calm down. He turns and looks down at his girl again, running his fingers along the sheets of her bed before he sits down again. I walk over and stand by the door again, leaving him to continue his conversation with her. This takes me back to the day that I saw Ana in a similar situation. I thought she was leaving me, but really she was trying to save my sister from Jack. She was brutally beaten by Jack when she arrived with the ransom money. I sat by her hospital bed for days, talking to her and waiting for her to come back to us. She was pregnant with our little Blip, and before the attack I was angry about it. I was more scared than anything, but I showed her raging anger instead of my fear. I needed her to wake up so that I could make things right, and tell her that I loved her and our little Blip.

My thoughts are interrupted when one of the machines starts beeping loudly. Teddy looks around and starts to panic. "What's happening?"

I open the door and yell for the doctors and nurses, but they are already racing down the hall to tend to Rebecca. They push us out of the way and quickly work on Rebecca. I grab Teddy's shoulders and hold him in front of me as we watch. Rebecca has flat lined. We stand and watch as they get the paddles out and work to bring her back.

The doctors have to shock her 3 times before her heart starts beating again. I am stunned, so I can't imagine what my son is feeling right now. He is never going to get this image out of his head. I probably should have made him leave while the doctors worked on her, but I too was frozen in my spot. This girl means everything to my son right now. She has to be okay. I feel the need to stay here to make sure she is okay, even though there is nothing I can actually do to make sure of it. My grip on my son's shoulders grows tighter. I can hear him trying to catch his breath, like he's just run a marathon.

Most of the doctors and nurses leave once Rebecca is settled, and Mr Lincoln is brought into the room. I'm not quite sure why we haven't seen Mrs Lincoln since yesterday afternoon, but I decide not to bring it up. One doctor and one nurse remain in the room for some time and check the machines and her tubes, but they don't make us leave. The doctor approaches us.

"What happened?" I asked him, but then I look at Mr Lincoln. He should probably be asking the questions, but he seems okay with me asking them.

"Rebecca is stable now. She flat lined, but we were able to bring her back." The doctor goes on to explain that they will keep monitoring her to make sure her heart rate and fever stay down.

"I was talking to her, did I do something wrong? Did I do this?" my son asks nervously.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong" the doctor confirms. "You should still keep talking to her, let her know you are here and waiting for her."

The doctor leaves, and things start to calm down. Teddy and Mr Lincoln both sit by Rebecca's bedside. I'm glad that Teddy and Mr Lincoln are both getting to know each other, and he seems to be accepting my son as his daughter's boyfriend. I start to feel like I'm intruding, so I excuse myself. My Lincoln gives me his blessing to step out, that he will be the adult supervision for my son to visit his girl.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once I am back in Phoebe's room, I go through her phone again for any clue about what's been going on with Caleb or Jay. Ana is in the room too, and she is feeding Natalie some rice cereal while she is seated in her stroller. I come across a few text messages, some from Avalon, some from Teddy, and some from Ava. I start to wonder why she has contacts for Ava and Avalon. As far as I know, Ava only has one phone. I start to read some of the texts that were sent back and forth with Avalon, and realize that this isn't a conversation she would have with her cousin. They talk about meeting up at the library, and Avalon tells her that she can't wait to kiss her. This must be Caleb. He was telling the truth. My daughter was seeing him behind our backs. I feel the anger start to build up inside of me again, and Ana immediately looks over at me.

"What is it?"

I look over at my wife, and I know that I'm scowling, but I can't help it. I am so angry. "I found the proof. Caleb was telling the truth. They were seeing each other."

I hand over the phone to show her what I've found, and I can see that she's confused. "Avalon?"

"That's Caleb" I explain to her, and I can't keep the disgust out of my voice. "Phoebe must have disguised the name in case we took her phone."

I watch Ana examine the phone. She reads through the text and I can see it start to sink in with her. "Oh, Phoebe" she sighs.

"What are we going to do about this?" I ask her, raising my voice.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe's POV

I'm lying down, and I can feel pain in my back. I try to shift so that I'm not lying on my back, but I can't. I can't move my arms or my legs. What is happening to me? Why can't I move? I try to open my eyes, and I can't do that either. I start to feel frightened. What is going on? Where am I? I start to hear voices. They are familiar and comforting. It's my Mom and Dad. I hear them talking about….. Caleb. Oh no, they've figured it out. I am in so much trouble.

"She's been seeing Caleb behind our backs." I hear him say. Oh Daddy, please don't be mad at me. I hate it when you're mad at me.

"Why, why would she do that?" I hear my mother say. She sounds very upset, while my Dad sounds so angry.

"I don't know, it doesn't make any sense." I feel him take my hand and hold it. It feels good. Safe. I want to wake up. I need to wake up, so that I can explain myself. I feel his thumb gently rub my knuckles. Why is it that I can feel things and hear things, but I can't move and I can't speak? This is so frustrating and very scary. Am I dreaming?

I hear another voice. It sounds like a doctor. I must be in a hospital. I no longer feel my father's hand in mine. Their voices are distant so they must have walked away from me. I can still make out some of the things the doctor is saying. It sounds like he is telling my parents that I am not getting better. What is wrong with me? I can't remember getting sick or hurt. How did I get here? I hear my mother cry. Oh no, this must be bad. I need to wake up. I have to try. Come on eyes, don't fail me now, open!

I feel my father's hand on mine again, and I can feel him shaking. He's crying too. Oh no, Dad never cries. I've only seen him cry once. Please Daddy, don't cry.

"Peanut, please" I hear him beg. He is definitely crying. If I could, I would cry too. But I can't even do that right now. "You have to wake up. Mommy and Daddy are here, Peanut. Please." He continues to cry and his grip on my hand is tighter. I feel Mom take my other hand. She's crying too.

"Phoebe, please Baby. We love you so much. Come back to us."

No, I have to stop this. I try again. Really try. I open my eyes and everything is fuzzy. I blink a few times until things come into focus. I am in the hospital, and I can feel something on my head. I think it's a bandage. I feel people holding onto both of my hands. I glance over to my left, and it's my Dad. He has tears dripping down his face, and I think I see relief in his eyes as he keeps his hold on my hand. He reaches up with his other hand and gently caresses my face. I feel tears on my face too. "Phoebe" he says, and it's a sob. He leans over and kisses me.

"Daddy" I say softly when I find my voice. I can't keep my emotions in check. I start to cry harder, and I can feel him and my mother hold me.


	40. Big Awakening

Christian's POV

My daughter's awake! After a grueling four days of sitting at my daughter's bedside, holding her hand, watching her sleep, thoughts of anger over her seeing Caleb, and the fear of her not waking up, she is awake. She opens her eyes and she recognizes me. She immediately starts to cry. Ana and I are both crying with her. We climb onto the bed and hold her in our arms. Her doctor had just told Ana and me that she was not getting better, and that the odds were against her since she was still unconscious. He had told us that even if she did wake up, she would not be the same Phoebe. She would not remember her life or anyone in it. She would have had to learn how do to everything all over again. Simple tasks such as eating, walking and getting herself dressed would've had to be taught to her again. But he was wrong. She's awake, and she knows who I am. She calls me Daddy and she allows Ana and me to comfort her.

I start to reach for the call button, but Ana stops me. "No, not yet" she says, her face soaked with tears.

"Ana, I'd love for the two of us to hold our daughter like this forever, but we need a doctor to check her out."

She nods, and we both slowly start to let go of Phoebe. But she clings to me, her weak fingers gripping my shirt. "Daddy, please don't go."

I keep my place on the bed and slowly get her to release my shirt. I get her to rest her head back on the pillow as I take her hand in one of mine. I gently rub my hand over her stomach with the other to soothe her. I look at her eyes and can see that she's frightened. "It's okay Peanut. Everything's going to be okay. Mommy and Daddy are both here and you're safe."

I continue to look into her eyes and do my best to calm myself. She doesn't take her eyes off of me. I'm glad. I don't want her looking around and seeing all of the scary hospital equipment before I get to explain things to her. "You're in the hospital, because you got hurt, but the doctors are taking good care of you. I need you to trust me on that. Do you think you can do that?" She doesn't verbally answer me, but she slowly nods to let me know that she can. "The doctor is going to come in here and check things over, but Mom and I will be right here. We won't leave."

I look over at the door and see my mother walk in with Phoebe's doctor. I bring Phoebe's hand to my lips and plant two gentle kisses before I slowly climb off of the bed. Ana and I stand back while my mother and the other doctor check Phoebe and the machines. I am so grateful to my mother for being here. She can't be Phoebe's doctor but she's been overseeing her care and explaining everything to us, the good and the bad. I kiss the back of Ana's shoulder before my mother approaches us with a big smile on her face.

"It looks like Phoebe surprised us all. Her numbers look great."

Ana brings her hand to her mouth and suppresses a cry. I can't help but tear up at my daughter's sudden improvement. I keep my hands on Ana's shoulders as the doctor approaches us. "I'd like to run some more tests, but that can wait. Why don't you spend some time with her? But keep the conversations light, nothing too heavy."

Ana and I both agree and watch the doctor leave. We both give my mother a hug. She takes one last look at Phoebe and blows her a kiss before she leaves the room. Ana and I take are places by Phoebe's bedside and I take her hand. The doctor told us nothing too heavy, so the Caleb conversation will have to wait.

"What happened to me?" she asks, her voice is very hoarse.

"Would you like some water?" I ask her. I don't want to sidebar her question, but I do want to tend to her needs. She looks disappointed, but she nods her head. I stand and pour some water into a cup for her. I sit on her bed and help her drink so it doesn't spill. After a few sips she lets me know that that's enough. I place the cup on a nearby table and look down at her, taking her hand in mine again. "What do you remember?"

She looks confused. I start to worry that she may have some short term memory loss. She thinks it over for a few minutes before she answers. "I was at school. We had a pop quiz in biology. I guess I did okay."

"Do you remember anything after that?" I try to push her. I glance over at Ana because I can feel her eyes on me. For a moment I think she is going to scold me with her eyes, but instead I see the same desperation that I feel. I need her to remember.

Phoebe takes some time to think. She shakes her head. "What day was that?"

"That was Wednesday." I put it out there because that was the day of the accident. I don't know if that was the same day as the pop quiz.

"Wednesday" she says as though she is testing the word. "I had Sawyer take me to the library after school. I was working on a paper that's due Friday. Oh no, what day is it?"

"Shhh" Phoebe starts to panic, so I gently caress her face and try to calm her. Ana takes her other hand with both of hers and rubs her wrist. "Phoebe, I don't want you to worry about any school assignments, okay? I will talk to your teachers about making up any work that you are missing." I thought that would make her feel better, but it doesn't. She grows more distressed as tears start to roll down her face.

"Daddy, please tell me what happened? How did I get hurt?"

I look over at Ana and she too has tears rolling down her face. I decide to tell her about the accident. "Peanut, there was a car accident. You were hurt in the car accident. You had some bruises, most of them have cleared up, but you hurt your head. You were asleep for a few days."

"Asleep?"

"Okay, you were unconscious for a few days." I look over at Ana again. "And your Mom and I were upset because we weren't sure when you were going to wake up."

"And when you did, we were so happy to see you." Ana adds. She still has tears rolling down her face. I reach over and take one of Ana's hands in mine so that the three of us are holding hands. We stay like this in silence for a few minutes until Phoebe starts to panic again.

"Oh no, Sawyer! Was he in the accident too?"

I leave go of Ana's hand and hold one of Phoebe's hands with both of mine. "No, Baby, Sawyer was not in the car. He's fine."

"Then who was driving the car?" She is at the point of yelling right now so I shush her again.

"Shhhh, Baby calm down." I pull her hand up to my lips and plant gentle kisses again. "I'm going to tell you who was in the car, but I need you to calm down first. Okay?" Phoebe takes her eyes off of me and looks down as she nods. She takes some breaths to calm down. When I am satisfied that she's calm I start to explain things to her. "We don't know the whole story, but when you were in the car accident, Jay was driving."

She gives me a disgusted look, which tells me that she wasn't in the car with him willingly. "Jay? Why was I in the car with Jay?"

"We don't know, Sweetheart. We were hoping you could tell us." Ana says with a gentle voice.

Phoebe shakes her head and grows upset again. More tears start to escape her eyes and roll down her cheek. We need to stop talking about this. Now. "Phoebe, Baby, we're going to figure this out, okay? But for now I think you should get some rest." I reach over and caress her face again, drying some tears as I do it. She looks up at me again and I can see pain and fear in her eyes. This is killing me. I want to protect her from this, but I don't know how to. I continue to rub my thumb along her cheek to dry more tears. I do this until her eyes grow heavy and close, and in a matter of minutes she is asleep. Ana and I just sit and watch our daughter as her chest rises and falls with every breath.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Christian and Ana meet with Phoebe's doctor to discuss her progress. Grace is there too and she is listening in. They are happy to hear that Phoebe is improving and has become a lot stronger than he had anticipated.

"We'd like to get her out of bed and walking today" he tells them. Christian takes Ana's hand and squeezes it. They are both beaming. "A nurse will be in after she has lunch and she'll walk with her, just around the ninth floor."

"Thank you Doctor." Christian says. They all stand and shake hands before the doctor walks away. Christian then pulls Ana into a hug and kisses her hair. Grace beams at them. "Mom"

"I know" she cuts him off. She knows that he is grateful to her, but she doesn't need words to know that. "Go be with her, I'll go check on Teddy and Rebecca."

"Thanks Mom" Christian kisses his mother's cheek and leads Ana through the doors of the ICU to visit with Phoebe. When they walk in they see that she is finishing her lunch.

"Eat up Baby, you'll need your strength." He says it without a hint of reprimand. He has a smile on his face, allowing his elation to shine through at his daughter's progress. She watches him as she eats and she starts to feel uneasy. She slows her pace, which causes Christian to lose his smile. "What's wrong?" Phoebe shrugs her shoulders and breaks eye contact. She continues to slowly eat her lunch, which is minestrone soup from the cafeteria.

"Gail is preparing stir fry for dinner, she's going to pack it up and send it here with Taylor." Ana thought that would lighten Phoebe's mood, but she continues to eat her soup in silence. When she is finished she places the spoon in the bowl and sits back. Christian stands and moves the tray away from her bed so that he can sit. He studies her for a moment, as if he is deciding on something in his head. "We need to talk about Caleb."

The sound of her father saying his name sends a shiver up her spine. She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "You know about Caleb" she says softly.

"Yes, we do." He holds up Phoebe's phone for her to see. "We know you've been seeing him and texting him. Why did you keep it from us?" Christian's voice is very stern, very different than the gentle Christian that walked into her room not five minutes ago. "Tell me"

Phoebe lets out a sigh. "You didn't want me to see him."

"So you went behind my back, even though I made it very clear that you were to stay away from him."

Phoebe looks over at her mother and is at a loss when she sees that Ana is not going to step in and defend her. Ana is just as angry as Christian. Phoebe lets out another sigh. "Dad, I know you wanted me to stay away, but I was curious. I wanted to know more about him, without you running a background check on him. I wanted to know why he asked me to dance, when he could have asked any other girl in that tent."

Christian pinches the top of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut. "Phoebe, Sawyer and I had to pull him away from you when you tried to get away from him. Now, I know you went back and talked to him after that, but why this? Why did you keep seeing him when I specifically told you not to?" Christian has started to raise his voice, which causes Phoebe to flinch.

"Dad, please, I like him."

"What?"

Ana stands and rushes over to Christian's side to calm him down. "Christian, Baby calm down."

Christian runs his hand through his hair and looks at his daughter again. "Phoebe, I don't understand how you can associate yourself with Caleb Braxton after what his father did to you."

"He's not his real father"

Christian gives her a confused look. "What?"

"He's not his real father" she repeats herself. "Mr Braxton thought Caleb was his son, but when Caleb was three he found out that he wasn't, so he left him and his mother."

Christian shakes his head and pinches the top of his nose again. "Caleb told you that?"

"Yeah" Phoebe responds, and this time she has a confused look.

Christian softens his voice. He knows that what he's about to say is going to hurt Phoebe. "He lied, Phoebe"

"What?" Phoebe gives her father a defiant look, although she doesn't mean to.

"He lied." Christian takes one of Phoebe's hands into his. "Honey, Caleb is Braxton's son."

"No" she says as she shakes her head. "He isn't, he even said that he's going to change his name when he's eighteen."

Christian sighs and continues to look at his daughter, his hand still holding hers. "While you were still unconscious I did run a background check on Caleb." This earns Christian another defiant look from his daughter, but he ignores it and continues. "Braxton still pays child support and alimony to Caleb's mother."

"Caleb told me that. He said Braxton felt obligated" she tries to argue.

Christian continues to explain the information he found. "Caleb is Teddy's age, but he's advanced in his schooling. He already graduated high school and he's taking college courses. Phoebe, Braxton is paying his tuition."

"Like I said, he probably feels obligated."

Christian starts to grow frustrated. "Phoebe, Caleb is interning at the law office that represented Braxton. Caleb worked with the attorneys that were on his case. Caleb knows what his father did to you."

This stops Phoebe in her tracks. She freezes. "He knows?" she asks softly. She starts to feel the shame and embarrassment that she felt when Braxton punished her. Those thoughts start to circle around in her head as a single tear leaves her eye and rolls down her cheek.

"Yes, he knows. He also visited Braxton in jail the other day. Why would he do that if he claims that Braxton isn't his father?" Phoebe sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. She doesn't make eye contact with her parents. She doesn't know what to say to them. They are interrupted when the nurse walks in and announces that it is time for Phoebe to take a walk with her.

"Can you give us about twenty minutes?" Ana asks her. The nurse nods and walks out of the room.

Christian and Ana turn their attention back to Phoebe. She's angry and hurt. Christian is also angry. "Phoebe, this is why I do things the way I do. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, I'm sorry" she whimpers.

"I know you're sorry, but sorry's not going to cut it. You went behind our backs and you saw Caleb, after I told you not to. You know how I feel about secrets, Phoebe. And you know how I feel about you defying us. You're grounded, starting when we get home. Your mother and I will need to discuss how long." Phoebe nods and keeps her eyes down. Christian turns around and looks at his wife before he turns his attention back to Phoebe. "I told you I wouldn't corporally punish you anymore, but if I catch you seeing or talking to Caleb again, I'm not going to be able to keep that promise. Understood?"

Phoebe nods again, and Christian starts to relax. He leans over and kisses her forehead before he stands and leaves the room. Ana stays with her and waits for the nurse to return to walk with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian walks into Rebecca's hospital room to spend time with Teddy. Rebecca's father is there too. He takes his opportunity to take a break and grab a shower and dinner. Christian pulls a chair over to sit next to Teddy. He watches as his son continues to sit by Rebecca's bed and hold her hand in both of his.

"Taylor brought some of Gail's stir fry. When Mr Lincoln comes back you should come and eat some" Christian says softly.

"Thanks Dad, but I don't think I can eat anything."

Christian frowns. "Teddy, I know this is really hard…."

"How would you know?" he cuts him off. "Phoebe's awake, Rebecca's not." He almost starts to cry, but he stops himself. His voice is filled with so much emotion.

Christian manages to keep his voice soft. "I know, son. I know because I was in this situation with your mother, eighteen years ago."

Teddy looks back at his father with tears in his eyes. He keeps both hands on Rebecca's. "What happened to Mom?"

Christian crosses his leg over the other and looks at Rebecca before he looks back at his son. "She was attacked by someone that was obsessed with her. He didn't want me to have your mother, and she didn't want him, so he lured her into a trap and physically assaulted her."

Teddy looks away as he allows this to sink in. He was never told this. Christian continues. "He slapped her around, he punched her, and he kicked at her ribs. Son, she was pregnant with you at the time."

Teddy looks back at his father again with a shocked look, and he can see that Christian is starting to tear up. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you both. Your mother was in a hospital bed just like this one for days."

"What did you do?" Teddy finally speaks up.

"Everything that you are doing. I sat with her, I held her hand, I talked to my family members and her family members when they came to see her. I read to her…."

"I should read to her" Teddy says as he looks back at his girl.

"Probably a good idea. When you come back tomorrow you should bring one of your literature books."

Teddy nods and turns his focus back to Rebecca. He rubs her hand and talks to her about the literature he is going to bring back and read to her.

Christian frowns and looks around the room. "Teddy, I haven't seen Mrs Lincoln around. Has she been here?"

Teddy keeps his eyes on Rebecca as he answers. "She hasn't been coming by. Mr Lincoln just says that she's busy with work. I don't get it, Dad. How can work be more important than her daughter?"

Christian sighs and frowns again. "I don't know, Son. I know that nothing could ever keep me away from you kids when you need me."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When Mr Lincoln returns, Christian leads his son back to the waiting area where Sawyer is so that he can take him home. He walks back into ICU and into Phoebe's room to get Ana so she can ride home with them. He stops at the door and takes in the site of his wife and daughter together. Ana is lying in bed with Phoebe's head on her chest and she is singing to her, like she did when she was little. Phoebe's eyes are closed and she is asleep. Ana gently strokes Phoebe's hair and looks over to see her husband in the doorway.

"Time to go already?" she asks.

Christian nods and saunters over to stand next to the bed. He helps Ana shift out of the bed while getting their daughter settled onto her pillow. She stirs a little but doesn't wake up. Christian wraps his arms around his wife and kisses her goodbye.

"Take it easy with her, okay? I know you're upset with her, but she's got a broken heart."

Christian looks over at his daughter and then back at Ana. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Be nice to her. You've already grounded her. We can talk more about that tomorrow." Ana reaches up and kisses her husband's lips. He keeps his eyes on her.

"I'll be nice, Mrs Grey" he says as he squeezes her ass. Ana smiles at him and he returns the smile before he kisses her back. "Shall I walk you out?"

"That won't be necessary. Sawyer's just outside, and you need to stay with our baby."

Christian frowns at having to say goodbye to his wife again. He leans down and whispers into her ear. "I cannot wait until we are all under one roof again and I can have you in my bed. We have a lot to make up for, Mrs Grey."

"I'm counting on that" she teases. He smacks her bottom which causes her to giggle, but she covers her mouth when she realizes that it was a loud giggle. Christian wraps his arms around her again and kisses the top of her head.

"Go, before I take you right here" he says to her and gives her a gentle push toward the door. When she is at the door she turns and blows a kiss to her husband. He plays along and reaches his hand out to catch the kiss. Ana smiles and leaves the room.

Christian looks down at Phoebe and sees that her eyes are open. "Hey, Peanut, go back to sleep" he coos as he gently strokes her hair.

"Did Mom leave?" she asks in a soft tired voice.

"Yeah, she and Teddy went home to Natalie. They'll be back tomorrow. Do you need something?"

Christian continues to stroke her hair. He promised Ana he would be nice, but he honestly can't help being nice at the moment. When he sees Phoebe like this he just wants to take care of her. "I'm cold" she says softly.

Christian realizes that Ana was probably lying in the bed with Phoebe for a while and was probably keeping her warm. He kicks his shoes off and eases into the bed so he is lying next to her. He has her rest her head on his chest and he continues to stoke her hair. She is instantly asleep. "Sleep well Baby."

* * *

_**400 Reviews, Wow! Thank you so much. I am so glad you all are still enjoying this. I apologize for not posting more often. Each chapter is taking me longer, but I will keep going. Happy Reading!**_


	41. Big Conclusion

Two days after Phoebe wakes, the doctor announces that she can be released while Rebecca is still unconscious in the ICU. Teddy spends a few minutes with his sister before the nurse arrives with her wheelchair.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by to see you much" he says to her as he sits on her bed. Phoebe is dressed in sweats and is putting on socks and shoes.

"It's okay. Mom and Dad have been here a lot, and Rebecca needed you more."

Teddy starts to feel guilty. "Still, I'm your brother. I was worried about you both."

"Do you love her?" she asks, and then feels embarrassed at her question. She looks down at her foot propped on the bed as she ties her shoe.

"Yes, I do"

Phoebe looks at her brother and smiles. "I didn't know. Do you think she's going to be okay?"

Teddy looks down and frowns. "I hope so. Her doctor said she's progressing nicely, I just wish she would wake up."

"She will. She has to." Phoebe finishes tying her shoe and starts to pack her pajamas into a bag that Taylor had brought for her.

"Phoebs, do you remember anything about the accident?"

Phoebe sighs in frustration. "No, and I don't remember being anywhere near Jay. Caleb told Mom that he was trying to kidnap me, and Ava said it was probably to get revenge for Rachel being expelled."

"Yeah, speaking of Caleb…." Teddy starts and is met with a scowl from his sister.

"Please, not you too. Dad is livid enough for the both of you. He said he'd go back to spanking me if he ever caught me seeing or talking to Caleb again." Phoebe frowns at the thought. She was at ease after her father said he wouldn't punish her that way anymore, but now that it is back on the table she needs to work hard and be on her best behavior.

"I'm not Dad, okay. But I am your brother and I have a right to be mad at you for this. Why would you date him?"

The nurse arrives with the wheelchair. "Miss Grey, are you ready?"

Phoebe looks over at the nurse. "Could you give us a few minutes please?" The nurse nods and leaves the room. Phoebe looks down at the bag that she is still packing, takes in a breath and lets it out. "I thought I could trust him. Being around him felt right, that's why I gave him a chance. He was someone I could talk to about normal things that had nothing to do with our family or the trial. He kept my mind off of it."

"Yeah, but Braxton's son?"

Phoebe sighs again and becomes emotional. "He told me that Braxton wasn't his real father. Why would he do that?"

"To get you to trust him. He knew what his father did to you, so of course he would tell you that."

"Have you lied to girls to get them to trust you?" Phoebe asks Teddy as she looks him dead in the eye. Unlike Caleb, she knows her brother and will know if he lies to her.

"No, I was never that smooth around girls. I was very lucky to meet Rebecca. In fact, it was her idea for us to go out."

Phoebe frowns. "Caleb said he wasn't smooth around girls either. He said it was difficult to make friends since he isn't in high school. Do you think that was a lie too?"

Teddy shakes his head. "I don't know. Look, Phoebe, the point is he did lie to you. You can't trust him. And you should do what Dad says and stay away from him."

Phoebe nods and looks down again. She still likes him, even though he lied to her. She is so confused about her feelings. Teddy kisses her forehead and stands from the bed. The nurse returns. "Ready? Your parents are waiting outside."

Phoebe nods and sits in the wheelchair. Teddy holds her hand and walks out with them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Teddy is in Rebecca's room reading to her from one of his literature books. He has spent the past couple of days reading to her, hoping the sound of his voice would trigger a reaction. He takes a break and looks over at his girl. She doesn't move or make a sound. He pulls his chair closer to the bed and holds her hand as he continues to read. Mr Lincoln is also in the room. He is sitting in the corner reading through a week's worth of mail. He is interrupted when he hears Teddy gasp.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Rebecca" he says with his voice full of emotion. He drops his book and holds Rebecca's hand with both of his hands. "She…. she, she squeezed my hand. She squeezed my hand. Do it again, Baby. Please." He waits a few seconds and holds his breath, and then he feels her squeeze again. Tears start to run down his face. "She did it again."

Mr Lincoln also gets emotional and rushes to get a doctor.

"You're doing great, Baby. You're coming back to us. You're doing it." Teddy leans down and kisses the back of her hand a few times, and then looks up at her face. Her eyes are open. "Rebecca?" She slowly nods to let him know that she hears him. He lets out a nervous laugh. "Baby, it's me, it's your Teddy Bear. And I love you so much." Rebecca has a tear in her eye as she nods again. Teddy is forced to separate from her when two doctors come in to check her over. He stands back and brings his hands to his mouth, not believing that this is happening. Mr Lincoln stands next to him and they watch as the doctors check the machines and write some things down on their clipboards.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Phoebe is settled in her room at home. Since she is grounded she is only able to read to keep herself occupied. She has a lot of school work to make up for, so she is working on assignments that she missed. Teachers have prepared study guides for her since she needs to restudy for exams that she'd missed. She looks over at her cell phone and sees that it is vibrating. She's not supposed to talk on the phone, but when she looks at the caller ID she can't stop herself from answering it.

"Hello?" she answers in a soft voice.

"Hi" a voice from the other end sends shivers up her spine. She's not supposed to talk to him, but she needs answers. She is angry and hurt and confused and all she wants right now is answers.

"Caleb" her voice is emotional.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, but your father wouldn't allow it."

"He doesn't want me to see you" she says, and then she finds her anger.

"I know. If I had a daughter I'd probably be that overprotective of her."

"Stop it" she says, and then she covers her mouth since she was louder than she'd meant to be.

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending that you care" she says through gritted teeth. She starts to shake as her anger builds.

"I'm not pretending, I do care."

"You lied to me" she snaps at him.

"What, I didn't lie….."

Their conversation is interrupted when someone grabs the phone away from Phoebe. She gasps and turns around to see that it is her father. Her anger is still fresh but now her fear starts to build.

Christian puts the phone to his ear and scowls when he hears Caleb's voice trying to explain himself. "You son of a bitch, I told you to stay away from my daughter" he shouts and throws the phone, making Phoebe gasp. He looks down at her and still has his scowl. He puts his hands on his hips and watches her squirm. "First of all, you shouldn't be talking on the phone while you're grounded. And second, you should _never_ be talking to him. What part of stay away from Caleb did you not understand?"

Phoebe cannot find any words that would help her case, so she doesn't say anything. As always his temper paralyzes her, and he knows it. Christian runs his hand through his hair and sits on the bed next to her.

"Phoebe, I don't get this, I told you what I would do if I caught you talking to him."

Phoebe nods. She can hear the frustration in his voice and can tell that he doesn't want to do this. She doesn't make a move to stop him. She knows that she'd only make things worse for herself if she fought him on it. She does what she is told and allows him to punish her. She cringes when he lowers her pajama bottoms, but she's surprised and relieved when he doesn't remove her panties. He tells her that she will get twenty, and before she knows it he is already striking her. She doesn't cry and she doesn't squirm away from him. She feels so angry at herself for trusting Caleb, she feels she deserves this.

After he reaches fifteen he stops, and Phoebe still doesn't cry. He feels so angry at her for defying him again. He wants to make sure that she doesn't do it again, and he feels this is the only way to go about it. He looks down at his belt and starts to think that he should use that for the remaining five. He's never used his belt on his children, only on Ana before she left him the first time. He puts his hand on his belt and hesitates. In his heart he doesn't want to use it, but his head is telling him that it is necessary. He wants to make it very clear to her that what she has done cannot happen again. But his heart is in conflict with his head. He needs to punish her, but he doesn't want to hurt her like that. Like Braxton hurt her. He immediately removes his hand from his belt as thoughts of Braxton enter his brain. The physical and emotional bruises that he inflicted on his daughter are permanently burned into his brain. He can't do this, he won't. He hears Phoebe start to whimper and her body starts to shake. He lifts her up so that she is sitting next to him and he wraps his arms tightly around her. Phoebe cannot hold back any longer and she lightly cries into his chest. Christian can't stop his own tears from falling as he holds her.

He kisses her forehead a few times. "Phoebe, I love you so much, but sometimes you make me so angry…"

"I know, I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry." Her voice is filled with emotion. He continues to hold her tight as she cries. When she pulls away from him he looks down at her. She has calmed down but she still has tears in her eyes.

"Why must you defy me?" he asks her softly.

"I needed answers. When he called, I knew I should have hung up, but I wanted answers."

"Answers?"

Phoebe nods. "I need to know why he lied to me."

Christian strokes her hair and tucks some of the strands behind her ear. "To get you to trust him" he says softly.

Phoebe nods again. "I need to hear it from him."

Christian frowns. He doesn't want Phoebe to ever see or talk to Caleb again. "No, you are not to see him. I mean it. You need to let this go."

Phoebe looks at her father with pain in her face. "Daddy, I know you want to protect me, and I love you for that. But there are some things that I need to do on my own. This is one of them. Please, I need to see him and hear what he has to say."

"Why?" he asks exasperated.

"Because, he lied to me, and I need to know why. This is important to me. Please?"

Christian sighs as he looks at the pain in her eyes. "I'll think about it" he offers, which is not a yes or a no. Phoebe nods and allows him to kiss her forehead again. "It's late, you should get ready for bed."

Phoebe doesn't argue. She stands from the bed and walks into her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she walks back into her bedroom she sees her father waiting for her. He is sitting on her bed with her phone in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking" he answers her calmly. He stands as she approaches him. "I think I'll hold onto your phone for a while, in case he tries to call you again." Phoebe frowns but she doesn't argue with him. "Part of the terms of your punishment is that you may not talk on the phone. And since you'll be home you won't need your phone."

Phoebe nods, but she's not happy about it. She climbs onto the bed and allows her father to tuck her in. She's not happy with him at the moment, but at the same time she's not angry with him. She never paid attention to her father's facial expressions when it came to punishing her, until now. She knows he doesn't enjoy this, in fact he now looks apologetic. She looks up at him as he sits on her bed. He wouldn't still be here in the room with her if he didn't care so much. She reaches over for his hand, and he takes it. "I guess this is tough love?"

Christian gives her a confused look, and then surprises her when he nervously chuckles. "Yes, Phoebe."

"I know you don't want to punish me. I'm sorry for making you do that." Phoebe looks down at their hands. "You and Mom have done a great job of shielding us from all of the bad stuff in this world. I guess sometimes I like to figure things out on my own. Sometimes, I wish you wouldn't protect us from everything, because I'll never learn anything if I don't experience the bad things along with the good."

Christian gives her another confused look. "Why would you want to experience the bad things?"

Phoebe looks up at him again. "It's the only way to learn. You punishing me isn't going to teach me the cruel realities of life. It is only going to teach me that you are angry about me defying you."

Christian is silent for a moment as he registers his daughter's words. "I don't want you to get hurt. Why can't you just accept that and allow me to protect you?"

Phoebe sighs. "I don't want to be sheltered. I want to feel, like everyone else.  
Even if it's heartache, I need to feel that. I love you for wanting to protect me from that, but I don't want you to."

Christian nods. He starts to understand, but he doesn't like it. "I'll never stop protecting you, Phoebe. But…. I'll try." He sighs and looks her in the eye. "I'll make a deal with you. You need to be honest with me, and not keep secrets from me. If you can do that, then I will try to be more flexible with the rules."

This earns him a big smile. "Okay" Phoebe says, and Christian smiles back. He leans down and kisses her cheek. "Sleep Peanut." He strokes her hair and then stands from her bed. She lays on her side and closes her eyes once Christian turns out the light. He watches her for a few minutes at the doorway before he leaves her to sleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later in the evening, Christian joins Ana in their bedroom. Ana has just finished feeding Natalie and she is asleep. Christian smiles at his girls before Ana notices that he is standing in the doorway.

"Hi" she says softly.

"Hi. I hope you're not too tired" he says as he saunters over to the bed and sits down. He gives her his boyish greedy grin and she can't help but smile back at him.

"What did you have in mind?"

Christian continues to grin at her. "I want to play." Ana blushes as she repositions Natalie in her arms. She starts to stand but Christian stops her. "No, I'll put her in her crib. When I come back I don't want to see that nightgown on you."

Christian carries his sleeping daughter out of the room and returns in less than five minutes. He walks in and is pleased to see his wife in just her panties lying on their bed. He saunters over to her and slowly climbs onto the bed so that he is on top of her. She is propped up on her elbows, her eyes never leaving his.

He softly and slowly kisses her lips. When he stops he reveals his gray tie. He waits for her to nod before he gently covers her eyes and ties it around her head. Once he is satisfied that she can't see him, he has her lower herself onto the bed so that her head is resting on a pillow. He takes her wrists and uses another tie to tie them above her head to the bedpost. Once her wrists are secure he climbs off of the bed. She feels him grip her ankles and pull so that her elbows are straight.

"Okay, Mrs Grey?" he asks her in a husky voice.

"Okay, Mr Grey"

He smiles and disappears for a while to find something to enjoy with his wife. He is making this up as he goes along. He returns to their room and Ana smiles when she feels him climb onto the bed again. She feels him sit on her, and realizes he is already naked.

"What took you so long?" she asks him. Christian scowls and then remembers that she can't see him. "Are you scowling at me?"

"Anastasia, I have something very delicious in mind" he says seductively. "But if you continue to run your smart mouth I'm going to have to change tact." Ana happily hums at the threat, but Christian doesn't welcome the distraction. "Ana" he whines.

"Sorry, I'll be good."

Christian kisses her lips quickly. "Thank you Baby. You're not going to be needing these" he says as he removes her panties. He proceeds to spray whipped cream into the shape of a volcano on her belly button, which makes her squirm and giggle. "Still" he commands, and she works hard to keep herself from moving beneath him. She can feel him dip something into the substance that is on her belly and then he holds it to her mouth. "Open" he commands. She obliges and is awarded with a delicious treat.

"Mmmm, strawberries and whipped cream" she says.

"That's right baby. More?"

"Yes please" she says, and Christian continues to feed her strawberries. He eats some as well until they are all gone. Once they finish the strawberries he repositions himself so that he can eat the rest of the whipped cream off of her stomach. She moans as he does it, feeling his tongue swirl in circular motions on her stomach. She then feels him squirt whipped cream on her breasts. He continues the torture by licking and sucking on each breast. Ana's breathing starts to get heavy as her need for her husband builds. She no longer feels him licking her anymore and tries to calm her breathing, until she feels him squirt the whipped cream down there. "Uhhhhh" she moans louder. He shushes her and proceeds to lick the whipped cream from her pubic area and clitoris. She is unable to keep still for him, so he grips her thighs to hold her in place. "Christian" she says between her heavy breaths, but he continues the torture. He does it until she comes and allows her to come down from her orgasm.

When she is back to earth he removes her blindfold but keeps her wrists tied. "Welcome back Mrs Grey?" he says softly before he invades her mouth with his tongue. She can taste the whipped cream and her arousal as he kisses her. "How are you?"

"Mighty fine, Mr Grey. But I think you missed a spot."

Christian gives her a confused look and then goes back to seduction. "Did I now?"

Ana nods and grins at him. "Untie me and I'll show you."

Christian snorts. He reaches up and unties her wrists. After he massages them she takes the whipped cream and shakes it as she sits up. Christian watches her as she sprays it onto his erection. "Ahhh" he can't help but let out a moan. Ana smiles greedily at him before she leans down and takes him into her mouth. She licks and sucks the whipped cream from him. He closes his eyes and throws his head back, gripping her hair with his hands. She keeps up the torture and can tell he is getting close. "Ana" he says breathlessly, but she doesn't stop. "Ana" he says again before he comes in her mouth.

After he comes down he presses her into the mattress and kisses her hard. He then leans up and thrusts into her. Ana cries out since she wasn't expecting it. He keeps still for a few seconds and plants gentle kisses on her face. "More?" he asks her, and she nods. With that he pulls out of her and thrusts into her again. He continues and Ana starts to meet his rhythm. They are both spent, but they continue until they both come together. Christian lies beside her and pulls her into his arms, kissing her shoulder. "I love you so much. My Ana."

"I love you too Christian" she says breathlessly. They both continue to breathe heavily until they calm down and fall asleep. Ana is the first to fall asleep. Christian leans up and can see that she is out. He plants a few more kisses on her shoulder before he buries his face into her hair falls asleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Christian is home with Phoebe and Natalie while Ana is at the hospital with Teddy. Natalie is on her afternoon nap, which allows Christian to get some work done. Rather than work on some things for Grey Enterprise Holdings like he had planned, he takes a meeting in his study.

After the meeting, Christian walks into Phoebe's room and finds her sitting on the floor. She has one leg bent with her knee about an inch away from her face, while the other leg is bent and rested on the floor. She is looking down and reading a book. Her back is up against the foot of her bed. Christian sits on the floor in front of her and crosses his legs. She doesn't look up or acknowledge him in any way.

"What are you reading?" he asks her softly.

Phoebe keeps her eyes on her book as not to lose her spot. "The Age of Innocence. It's on the list for school."

Christian just nods. He takes her looking down as a sign that she doesn't want to talk to him. He is plagued with guilt. Guilt over getting so angry with her about Caleb. And guilt over having to go back on his promise and punishing her. He doesn't want there to be distance between them again. He heard what she said last night about letting her experience things even if it means she will get hurt. He doesn't like it, but he promised her that he would try. "Do you think you can come to a stopping point? There's something I need you to do."

Phoebe takes a moment to finish reading a paragraph and looks up at him. He can see tiredness in her eyes, even though she's been resting in her room since the moment she came home from the hospital. "What is it?"

"I need you to get dressed and meet me downstairs in the main room."

Phoebe gives him a confused look. "Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just get dressed. Jeans or sweats, whatever you want. Is ten minutes enough for you?"

"I guess" she shrugs, still confused.

"Do you want me to brush your hair for you?" he asks her softly. He's trying to get an in with her good graces, but she turns him down.

"I can do it. Ten minutes is fine."

Christian nods. "Okay." He stands and leaves the room. Phoebe watches him leave and has a weird look on her face. She's grounded, and she's recovering, which are the two main reasons she's been in her room. But now her father is telling her to change from her comfy pajamas into something else, presentable enough to meet him in the main room. She marks her page and walks into her closet to find clothes to change into as she considers the possibilities. Perhaps he is changing his mind about grounding her? _Doubtful_. Maybe he has people from work in the house, since he's been working from home. _No, that can't be it_. Maybe he paid a doctor to make a house call to check on her. _Sounds like Dad_. She chooses gray leggings and a matching gray and green dress.

When she walks into the main room her eyes bulge. She needs to blink to make sure she is really seeing this. Christian is standing in the main room, and so is Caleb. Christian walks over to the doorway to greet Phoebe. He puts his hand on her shoulder and speaks to her softly. "Mrs Taylor will have dinner ready at six. He can stay until then." Phoebe doesn't know what to say. She moves her eyes from Caleb over to her father, and she sees that he has a slight smile on his face. He kisses the top of her head and retreats into his study.

Phoebe waits until the door to the study is closed and she looks over at Caleb. She was not expecting this, and she wishes she had more of a warning. She is not prepared to face him right now. But this is it. He is here. And it is not behind her father's back.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, and she doesn't hide the annoyance in her voice.

Caleb takes a few steps closer to Phoebe. "I called your father's assistant and asked for a meeting. I figured the worst he could do is turn me down, and to my surprise he didn't."

"What did you want with my father?"

Caleb grows nervous. He puts his hands in his pockets and looks down at the floor before he looks back at her. "When he picked up the phone last night I figured I got you in trouble and I didn't want that. I also wanted him to let me see you, to talk to you. To explain things."

Phoebe takes her eyes off of him and shakes her head. "Fine, explain. Explain why you lied to my face?"

"I'm sorry" is all he can think to say to her.

"Are you? Are you? You've been lying to me since the day we met. How am I supposed to trust anything you ever say to me?" The question hangs out there. As intelligent and educated Caleb is, that doesn't help him talk his way through this with Phoebe. He knows he needs to say something, but the words do not come to him. He breaks eye contact again and his eyes find the floor "Well?" she snaps.

He lets out a sigh and rolls his eyes to the ceiling. "I didn't want my connection with my father to spoil what we could have had." Caleb finds his confidence and slowly walks toward her. "When we were dancing, it felt so great and so frightening at the same time. There was something about you and I wanted to get to know you and be something to you. But the moment you heard my last name you freaked. I saw the fear in your eyes. I didn't want you to ever look at me like that again. So, yeah, I lied."

"You knew what your father did to me."

Caleb nods and looks down and away from her again. "Yeah"

"And you knew that I had to testify, and still you said nothing."

"What was I supposed to say? Phoebe, I didn't want you to look at me and think of what my father did."

"Were you ever going to tell me the truth?" Phoebe asks him, which leaves him speechless. Phoebe is not impressed. And she is hurt that he couldn't be honest with her from the beginning. She still has feelings for him, but she will never be able to trust him. "I want you to leave" Phoebe says. She crosses her arms across her chest. Caleb regards her carefully. He almost hopes she doesn't mean it. But that is just wishful thinking.

"Phoebe, please…."

"No" she cuts him off. "Don't. Just go. I don't want to see you anymore. Don't call me, don't text me, and don't call any members of my family."

"Don't do this, Phoebe. Please" Caleb tries, but Phoebe holds her own.

"Dovis?" she calls one of her family's body guards, and within seconds he is in the room. "Will you please show Caleb out?"

"Of course, Miss Grey." He follows orders and starts to show a sullen Caleb out. Caleb takes one last look at Phoebe.

"I'll never forget you Phoebe"

Phoebe watches him leave and lets out a breath she had no idea she was holding.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian is in his office working. He's on the phone with Ros when he hears a soft knock. "Come in" he says. He continues to talk on the phone, but when he notices that it is Phoebe that is walking in he makes eye contact with her. He motions for her to have a seat in one of the chairs so that he can finish the call. Phoebe listens as he goes over a report with Ros and discusses a strategy for an ongoing project that is being worked on in Taiwan. He is using a hands free headset to talk to Ros as he uses both hands to shuffle through paper work and take notes. When he ends the call, he removes the headset and takes in a deep breath as he shows his exhaustion. Phoebe is sitting still in the chair, and she's not looking at him. Christian finishes organizing the paperwork on his desk and regards his daughter. He'd only left her in the main room fifteen minutes ago.

"Where's Caleb?" he asks her, his tone still sounding like the CEO in a business meeting.

"He had to go." She says to him, and he nods. "Actually, I made him leave. I told him not to contact me anymore. Or you for that matter."

"Oh?" his demeanor changes from powerful CEO to sensitive father. "Why, what happened?"

Phoebe doesn't answer. She looks off to the side and supports her head with one of her hands. She feels the tears coming and her emotions start to hit her full force. She starts to cry. She tries to hide her face in her hands, but Christian has made his way over to her. He kneels on the floor in front of her and wraps his arms around her, rubbing her back as she sobs hard into his shoulder.

"Shhh" He tries to calm her since her heavy sobs are causing her body to shake violently. It gets to a point where her breathing is being compromised. "Breathe, baby. Come on, you need to breathe." He turns his head so his face is in her hair.

Phoebe does as he says and tries to control her breathing. She has so much bottled up inside, being in the car accident, with Jay of all people, being in the hospital with a head injury, missing school, missing finals, being punished, Caleb's lies, her father's disappointment in her, it is too much for her to keep in, so she continues to cry in his arms.

He continues to rub her back and hush her in an effort to calm her. He also kisses her hair a few times, and it starts to work. After about fifteen minutes of crying she stops, and she is reduced to a few tears and breathing spasms. Christian pulls out of the embrace and kisses her forehead a few times. He pulls away slightly and looks at her tear stained face. She doesn't make eye contact with him. He uses his thumbs to wipe away some tears and also tucks some lose strands of hair behind her ear. When she tries to hide her face in her hands again he gets the hint. She doesn't want him to look at her. He takes her hand and has her stand, leading her over to the couch he keeps in his office. They both sit down so that they are next to each other, and Christian waits patiently for her to collect herself.

"I liked him. Like…. really liked him. But, but he lied. He lied to me." Her voice is full of emotion as she speaks, her voice trembling.

"I'm sorry Sweetheart" he says to her softly.

"I am so stupid" she blurts out as tears continue to stream down her face.

"You are not stupid, Phoebe." He puts his arm around her and holds her close.

"Then why did I fall for him? Why did I trust him?"

Christian keeps his arm around her and thinks about what to say to her. She is so young, and so far she's allowed two boys into her life, and both have let her down. And both were kept a secret from him. _This is why I like having control_. "You believed him because you wanted to, because you had no reason to suspect that he wasn't being truthful."

Phoebe reaches up and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "You found out the truth. So if I came to you weeks ago and told you that I wanted to see Caleb, would you have found out all of this stuff then?"

Christian nods. "Yes I would have. I know it's not the traditional way to start a relationship with someone, but since I have the resources to find out about people, you need to let me do that for you. I won't let anyone hurt you if I can help it. But if you keep secrets from me…" he gently places three fingers under her chin to raise her head to look at him, while keeping his other arm around her. "I can't help you if you keep secrets from me."

Phoebe looks into her father's eyes and swallows. She knows he's right. And she gets it now. He is overbearing and overprotective, but that's because he cannot stand to see people that he cares about get hurt. She nods and rests her head against his chest. He wraps his other arm around her and holds her tight, kissing her head a few times before resting his chin against her temple.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day things start to calm down for the Greys. Christian works from home again since Phoebe is still recovering. Ana spends some time at work and at the hospital since Teddy insists on staying by Rebecca's side. Phoebe was able to take two of her exams at home while a tutor sat with her.

It is late in the afternoon when Phoebe walks into Christian's office and finds him still working.

"Hi Dad" she says with a smile on her face. Christian returns the smile but also regards her oddly. She isn't wearing comfy sweats. She is wearing a yellow and gray sundress that stops above the knee and her hair is done nicely with wavy curls. She is still recovering from a car accident, but she looks great. He starts to feel guilty since he's about to remind her that she can't go out.

"Peanut, you look really nice, but we talked about this. You are grounded until Saturday. No going out until then." He and Ana had originally decided on grounding her for three weeks, but after realizing how heartbroken she was over Caleb, they decided that being grounded doesn't measure up to the amount of pain a broken heart can bring.

"I know, I wasn't planning on going anywhere" she explains, which earns her a confused look.

"Okay, then why are you dressed like that?"

"Mom brought Teddy home. She thought it'd be nice if the five of us had dinner together, since it's been a while since we've done that. Mrs Taylor said it will be ready in five minutes."

Christian smiles brightly. It has been a while since the five of them sat down for a meal together. He happily tears himself away from his work, stands from his desk chair and walks out of his study with his hand on his daughter's shoulder. When he opens the door and walks into the main room he is greeted with a pleasant surprise.

"Happy Birthday Christian" Ana says to him warmly. She is the first person that he sees. As he looks around he sees his Carrick, Grace, Elliot, Kate and Ava. They all take turns greeting him with hugs.

"My birthday. With everything going on I have forgotten all about it" Christian admits. He is really surprised, and really happy to see his family in his main room.

"We didn't" Phoebe says with a big smile on her face. Christian has his arm around Ana and he pulls Phoebe toward him with his other arm.

"You guys are the best. Thank you for doing this."

"Happy Birthday Dad" Teddy says as he approaches his father. Christian leaves go of Ana and Phoebe to give his son a hug.

"Thank you son. How's Rebecca doing?"

Teddy smiles. "Great. She's doing great. She's uh, she's moving her arms and her legs. She smiles at me. She squeezes my hand." Teddy starts to tear up as he thinks of his girlfriend. "She's got a lot of recovering to do, but we'll do it one day at a time."

Ana walks over and puts her hands on Teddy's arm for support. Christian looks around at his family again and starts to feel an overwhelming joy of having them together. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I'm really glad you all are here. I really wish Mia lived closer."

"Yeah, it's too bad she couldn't be here" Elliot adds almost teasingly. Christian looks over at the entrance of the main room when he notices movement, and he gasps when he sees his sister.

"Mia" he says with happy tears in his eyes. She rushes into his arms and he hugs her tight. Ethan and their three kids walk into the room and are met with hugs from the rest of the family. "When did you get here?" he asks her when he releases her and holds her at arm's length.

"We just got here. I know you told me not to come when the kids got hurt, but I wanted to be here."

Christian hugs her again and reaches out his hand to shake Ethan's. Their kids sit with Carrick and Grace as Elliot joins his brother and sister in their hug. Ana wraps her arms around Phoebe and Teddy as they enjoy Christian's happiness at spending time with his family. "I love you guys so much."

The three of them finally separate when Gail announces that it is time for them to take their seats in the dining room for dinner. The family starts to walk in that direction. Ana picks Natalie up and holds her in her arms as Christian approaches her. "Join me for dinner for fifteen Mrs Grey?" he says with a grin on his face.

"Are you mad?" she asks him as she reaches up and caresses his face.

"No, I'm not mad." He puts one hand on Natalie's back and the other on Ana's face. "Anastasia, your Fifty Shades is the happiest man alive." He leans down and kisses her lips before putting his hand on her back and walking toward the dining room with her to join the family.


	42. Big Thanks

Many thanks for all of the reviews, follows and favorites. When I started this fanfic three months ago, it was just an idea that I wanted to put in writing and explore. I never imagined getting this amount of support and feedback. It's been great and it's encouraged and inspired me to write more. I had a lot of fun writing this since I really enjoyed E.L. James' trilogy. I wanted to explore how Christian would handle himself as a parent since the trilogy only touched on a short period of time when Teddy was a toddler.

I know that some readers are not thrilled with reading stories that involve physically punishing a child. I honestly don't like that either. I don't have children, so of course I would say I wouldn't physically punish any child I would have. Christian Grey on the other hand is programed to believe that embarrassment and physical pain is the most effective way to punish. I've also never been in a BDSM relationship, so I can only draw that from things that I've read.

Christian Grey is a complex man. He is fifty shades and I don't imagine that changing too much in the nineteen years he's spent with Ana. I consider him a character that will continue to learn things about the world and himself, and I wanted to portray him as learning things from his kids and struggling with his role as a parent. My focus in the last chapter was for him to learn from Phoebe that his overprotectiveness was not going to help her learn to grow, and for Phoebe to learn just what her father has worked so hard to protect her from. I also thought it was important for him to stay with her this time and talk to her, rather than leave her alone after punishing her. That made all the difference in the way that Phoebe reacted.

One of the reviews pointed out that Ana's company is Grey Publishing. Thank you, I have forgotten that Christian changed the name of the company.

Some of the readers were disappointed that Caleb turned out to be bad. He wasn't bad, but he lied to Phoebe. It was a pretty big lie that she cannot get past right now.

I didn't touch on Rebecca's mother too much at the end. I didn't want to take the focus away from the Greys, so I only threw hints in there that she just wasn't mother or wife of the year.

I've decided to end this with Chapter 41, but I have already started a sequel since I have some more ideas for the Greys. It will pick up exactly two years after this story ended. If you've enjoyed my story I hope you check out my sequel, "Fifty Shades of Parenting More"

Thank you again and Happy Reading!


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